Bulgaria vs Greece
Greece is 19% larger than Bulgaria.
BulgariaGreeceBulgaria moved onto Greece · Equal-area projection
0.84×
Bulgaria is 0.84× the area of Greece. Put the other way, Greece is 1.19× the size of Bulgaria.
 Bulgaria |  Greece | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaGreece: 1.19× the area | 110,994 km²#103 of 194 | 131,957 km²#95 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationGreece: 1.62× the population | 6,433,302#111 of 194 · 2025 | 10,413,962#94 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityGreece: 1.36× the density | 58 / km²#128 of 194 | 79 / km²#105 of 194 |
| Urban populationGreece: 1.07× the urban share | 74%#60 of 192 · 2025 | 79%#47 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBulgaria: 1.39× the births per woman | 1.72 per woman#115 of 192 · 2024 | 1.24 per woman#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthGreece: 0.21 points higher | −0.13%#165 of 192 · 2025 | +0.08%#152 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBulgaria: 1.26× the birth rate | 8.3 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 | 6.6 per 1,000#185 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBulgaria: 1.29× the death rate | 15.6 per 1,000#2 of 192 · 2024 | 12.1 per 1,000#16 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Bulgaria: 1.5 points higher | 14.4%#171 of 192 · 2025 | 12.9%#182 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Greece: 2.2 points higher | 22.2%#13 of 192 · 2025 | 24.4%#5 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationGreece: 2.1 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | +1.6 per 1,000#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBulgaria: 8.0× the refugees for its size | 0.08 per 1,000#122 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyGreece: 6.0 years longer | 75.8 years#80 of 192 · 2024 | 81.8 years#32 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBulgaria: 1.44× the infant mortality | 4.6 per 1,000 births#148 of 191 · 2024 | 3.2 per 1,000 births#163 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsGreece: 1.52× the doctors per person | 4.33 per 1,000#23 of 178 · 2022 | 6.58 per 1,000#4 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentGreece: 2.38× the university enrolment | 69.5%#47 of 145 · 2024 | 165.1%#1 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexGreece: 0.063 higher | 0.845#54 of 190 · 2023 | 0.908#33 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaGreece: 1.43× the income per person | $17,780#60 of 185 · 2025 | $25,360#45 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPGreece: 2.15× the economy | $130.78B2025 | $280.64B2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)About the same output per person | $44,451#50 of 184 · 2025 | $45,264#49 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBulgaria: 1.0 points higher | +3.1%#96 of 187 · 2025 | +2.1%#127 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBulgaria: 2.1 points higher | +4.6%#45 of 176 · 2025 | +2.5%#99 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentGreece: 2.43× the unemployment | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 | 8.5%#45 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyBulgaria: 1.67× the share in extreme poverty | 1.0%#85 of 149 · 2023 | 0.6%#102 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Bulgaria: 6.1 higher | 39.5#41 of 149 · 2023 | 33.4#90 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureGreece: 6.0 points higher | 4.7% of jobs#132 of 178 · 2025 | 10.7% of jobs#108 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBulgaria: 11.6 points higher | 27.9% of jobs#25 of 178 · 2025 | 16.3% of jobs#125 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesGreece: 5.6 points higher | 67.4% of jobs#63 of 178 · 2025 | 73.0% of jobs#38 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentGreece: 1.1 points higher | 3.7% of GDP#52 of 184 · 2025 | 4.8% of GDP#39 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBulgaria: 11.2 points higher | 50.7% of GDP#45 of 168 · 2025 | 39.5% of GDP#76 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingGreece: 1.49× the military spending | 2.0% of GDP#64 of 155 · 2025 | 3.0% of GDP#32 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersGreece: 1.05× the share online | 82%#89 of 184 · 2024 | 86%#73 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBulgaria: 1.04× the mobile subscriptions | 118 per 100#87 of 191 · 2024 | 114 per 100#99 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaAbout the same forest share | 36% of land#79 of 192 · 2024 | 37% of land#75 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBulgaria: 1.05× the CO₂ per person | 5.31 t a year#46 of 185 · 2024 | 5.05 t a year#49 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyGreece: 1.1 points higher | 20.4%#105 of 190 · 2021 | 21.5%#101 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Bulgaria: 1.4× the air pollution | 19.7 µg/m³#86 of 191 · 2023 | 14.1 µg/m³#124 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBulgaria: 9.3 points higher | 44.3% of land#5 of 191 · 2025 | 35.0% of land#23 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBulgaria: 18.0 points higher | 32.2% of land#25 of 190 · 2024 | 14.2% of land#76 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBulgaria: 1.98× the water stress | 40.2%#44 of 176 · 2022 | 20.3%#67 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationGreece: 1.07× the rain and snow | 608 mm#130 of 180 · 2022 | 652 mm#121 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityGreece: 0.03 higher | +0.25#82 of 193 · 2025 | +0.28#81 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionGreece: 0.54 higher | −0.29#101 of 193 · 2025 | +0.25#71 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateBulgaria: 1.38× the homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2023 | 0.8 per 100,000#117 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Parliamentary republic |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Sofia | Athens |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | Bulgarian | Greek |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +359 | +30 |
| Region | Eastern Europe, Europe | Southern Europe, Europe |
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; Greece at 39° N is stretched to 1.66×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. 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 Greece?
- No. Bulgaria is 16% smaller than Greece. Bulgaria covers 110,994 km² and Greece covers 131,957 km².
- How many times does Bulgaria fit into Greece?
- About 1.2 times: Greece has 1.19× the area of Bulgaria.
- Why do Bulgaria and Greece 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 Greece about 1.66×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Bulgaria or Greece?
- Greece: 10,413,962 people against 6,433,302. Density: Bulgaria 58 per km², Greece 79 per km².
- Which is richer, Bulgaria or Greece?
- By gross national income per person, Greece: $25,360 against $17,780 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.43× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Bulgaria or Greece?
- In Greece: life expectancy at birth is 81.8 years, against 75.8 — 6.0 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bulgaria and Greece have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: parliamentary republic (CIA World Factbook).