Bulgaria vs Cuba
Bulgaria and Cuba are almost exactly the same size.
BulgariaCubaBulgaria moved onto Cuba · Equal-area projection
1.01×
Bulgaria is 1.01× the area of Cuba.
 Bulgaria |  Cuba | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 110,994 km²#103 of 194 | 109,884 km²#104 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationCuba: 1.7× the population | 6,433,302#111 of 194 · 2025 | 10,937,203#88 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityCuba: 1.72× the density | 58 / km²#128 of 194 | 100 / km²#89 of 194 |
| Urban populationCuba: 1.04× the urban share | 74%#60 of 192 · 2025 | 77%#54 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBulgaria: 1.19× the births per woman | 1.72 per woman#115 of 192 · 2024 | 1.45 per woman#146 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBulgaria: 0.26 points higher | −0.13%#165 of 192 · 2025 | −0.39%#176 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateCuba: 1.04× the birth rate | 8.3 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 | 8.6 per 1,000#161 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBulgaria: 1.5× the death rate | 15.6 per 1,000#2 of 192 · 2024 | 10.4 per 1,000#29 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Cuba: 0.6 points higher | 14.4%#171 of 192 · 2025 | 15.0%#162 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Bulgaria: 5.2 points higher | 22.2%#13 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#46 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBulgaria: 1.5 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | −2.0 per 1,000#144 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadCuba: 33.6× the refugees for its size | 0.08 per 1,000#122 of 190 · 2025 | 2.69 per 1,000#35 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyCuba: 2.5 years longer | 75.8 years#80 of 192 · 2024 | 78.3 years#50 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityCuba: 1.48× the infant mortality | 4.6 per 1,000 births#148 of 191 · 2024 | 6.8 per 1,000 births#135 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsCuba: 2.2× the doctors per person | 4.33 per 1,000#23 of 178 · 2022 | 9.54 per 1,000#1 of 178 · 2021 |
| University enrolmentBulgaria: 1.61× the university enrolment | 69.5%#47 of 145 · 2024 | 43.1%#85 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexBulgaria: 0.083 higher | 0.845#54 of 190 · 2023 | 0.762#96 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | $17,780#60 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDPBulgaria: 1.22× the economy | $130.78B2025 | $107.35B2020 |
| Income group | High income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $44,451#50 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growthBulgaria: 4.2 points higher | +3.1%#96 of 187 · 2025 | −1.1%#180 of 187 · 2024 |
| Inflation | +4.6%#45 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| UnemploymentBulgaria: 2.06× the unemployment | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 | 1.7%#164 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 1.0%#85 of 149 · 2023 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 39.5#41 of 149 · 2023 | — |
| Jobs in agricultureCuba: 10.8 points higher | 4.7% of jobs#132 of 178 · 2025 | 15.5% of jobs#91 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBulgaria: 11.0 points higher | 27.9% of jobs#25 of 178 · 2025 | 16.9% of jobs#115 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesCuba: 0.2 points higher | 67.4% of jobs#63 of 178 · 2025 | 67.6% of jobs#62 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentBulgaria: 3.7 points higher | 3.7% of GDP#52 of 184 · 2025 | 0.0% of GDP#162 of 184 · 2020 |
| ExportsBulgaria: 8.2 points higher | 50.7% of GDP#45 of 168 · 2025 | 42.5% of GDP#61 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spending | 2.0% of GDP#64 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet usersBulgaria: 1.17× the share online | 82%#89 of 184 · 2024 | 71%#117 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBulgaria: 1.62× the mobile subscriptions | 118 per 100#87 of 191 · 2024 | 73 per 100#155 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBulgaria: 1.04× the forest share | 36% of land#79 of 192 · 2024 | 35% of land#84 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBulgaria: 2.78× the CO₂ per person | 5.31 t a year#46 of 185 · 2024 | 1.91 t a year#104 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyCuba: 0.5 points higher | 20.4%#105 of 190 · 2021 | 20.9%#103 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Bulgaria: 2.1× the air pollution | 19.7 µg/m³#86 of 191 · 2023 | 9.4 µg/m³#158 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBulgaria: 28.7 points higher | 44.3% of land#5 of 191 · 2025 | 15.6% of land#111 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBulgaria: 4.2 points higher | 32.2% of land#25 of 190 · 2024 | 28.0% of land#34 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBulgaria: 1.68× the water stress | 40.2%#44 of 176 · 2022 | 23.9%#62 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationCuba: 2.2× the rain and snow | 608 mm#130 of 180 · 2022 | 1,335 mm#68 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityCuba: 0.06 higher | +0.25#82 of 193 · 2025 | +0.31#79 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBulgaria: 0.44 higher | −0.29#101 of 193 · 2025 | −0.73#135 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateCuba: 4.09× the homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2023 | 4.5 per 100,000#51 of 146 · 2019 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | One-party statecommunist state |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area | — |
| Capital | Sofia | Havana |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Cuban peso (CUP) |
| Official languages | Bulgarian | Spanish |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 | UTC−5, summer time UTC−4 |
| Calling code | +359 | +53 |
| Region | Eastern Europe, Europe | Caribbean, North America |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Bulgaria sits at about 43° N and is stretched to 1.86× its true area; Cuba at 22° N is stretched to 1.16×. That difference is why Bulgaria looks so much bigger than it is next to Cuba. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Bulgaria bigger than Cuba?
- Yes. Bulgaria and Cuba are almost exactly the same size. Bulgaria covers 110,994 km² and Cuba covers 109,884 km².
- How many times does Cuba fit into Bulgaria?
- About 1.0 times: Bulgaria has 1.01× the area of Cuba.
- Why do Bulgaria and Cuba look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Bulgaria is drawn about 1.86× its true area there and Cuba about 1.16×. That is why Bulgaria looks so much bigger than it really is next to Cuba. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Bulgaria or Cuba?
- Cuba: 10,937,203 people against 6,433,302. Density: Bulgaria 58 per km², Cuba 100 per km².
- Where do people live longer, Bulgaria or Cuba?
- In Cuba: life expectancy at birth is 78.3 years, against 75.8 — 2.5 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bulgaria and Cuba have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Bulgaria: parliamentary republic; Cuba: one-party state.