Bulgaria vs Guatemala
Bulgaria and Guatemala are almost exactly the same size.
BulgariaGuatemalaBulgaria moved onto Guatemala · Equal-area projection
1.02×
Bulgaria is 1.02× the area of Guatemala.
 Bulgaria |  Guatemala | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 110,994 km²#103 of 194 | 108,889 km²#105 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationGuatemala: 2.9× the population | 6,433,302#111 of 194 · 2025 | 18,687,881#70 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityGuatemala: 2.96× the density | 58 / km²#128 of 194 | 172 / km²#55 of 194 |
| Urban populationBulgaria: 1.32× the urban share | 74%#60 of 192 · 2025 | 56%#116 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateGuatemala: 1.33× the births per woman | 1.72 per woman#115 of 192 · 2024 | 2.29 per woman#81 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthGuatemala: 1.65 points higher | −0.13%#165 of 192 · 2025 | +1.52%#67 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateGuatemala: 2.48× the birth rate | 8.3 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 | 20.6 per 1,000#68 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBulgaria: 3.18× the death rate | 15.6 per 1,000#2 of 192 · 2024 | 4.9 per 1,000#173 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Guatemala: 16.6 points higher | 14.4%#171 of 192 · 2025 | 31.0%#65 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Bulgaria: 17.2 points higher | 22.2%#13 of 192 · 2025 | 5.0%#123 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationGuatemala: 0.1 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | −0.4 per 1,000#95 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadGuatemala: 23.4× the refugees for its size | 0.08 per 1,000#122 of 190 · 2025 | 1.87 per 1,000#46 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBulgaria: 3.1 years longer | 75.8 years#80 of 192 · 2024 | 72.7 years#106 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityGuatemala: 3.74× the infant mortality | 4.6 per 1,000 births#148 of 191 · 2024 | 17.2 per 1,000 births#73 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBulgaria: 3.38× the doctors per person | 4.33 per 1,000#23 of 178 · 2022 | 1.28 per 1,000#100 of 178 · 2020 |
| University enrolmentBulgaria: 2.55× the university enrolment | 69.5%#47 of 145 · 2024 | 27.3%#103 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexBulgaria: 0.183 higher | 0.845#54 of 190 · 2023 | 0.662#134 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBulgaria: 2.8× the income per person | $17,780#60 of 185 · 2025 | $6,360#99 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBulgaria: 1.06× the economy | $130.78B2025 | $123.31B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Bulgaria: 2.92× the output per person | $44,451#50 of 184 · 2025 | $15,197#109 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthGuatemala: 1.2 points higher | +3.1%#96 of 187 · 2025 | +4.3%#64 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBulgaria: 3.1 points higher | +4.6%#45 of 176 · 2025 | +1.5%#128 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBulgaria: 1.35× the unemployment | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 | 2.6%#154 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyGuatemala: 9.7× the share in extreme poverty | 1.0%#85 of 149 · 2023 | 9.7%#46 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Guatemala: 5.7 higher | 39.5#41 of 149 · 2023 | 45.2#15 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureGuatemala: 24.4 points higher | 4.7% of jobs#132 of 178 · 2025 | 29.1% of jobs#62 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBulgaria: 5.2 points higher | 27.9% of jobs#25 of 178 · 2025 | 22.7% of jobs#58 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBulgaria: 19.2 points higher | 67.4% of jobs#63 of 178 · 2025 | 48.2% of jobs#127 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentBulgaria: 2.3 points higher | 3.7% of GDP#52 of 184 · 2025 | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBulgaria: 35.1 points higher | 50.7% of GDP#45 of 168 · 2025 | 15.6% of GDP#147 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBulgaria: 3.87× the military spending | 2.0% of GDP#64 of 155 · 2025 | 0.5% of GDP#143 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBulgaria: 1.37× the share online | 82%#89 of 184 · 2024 | 60%#134 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBulgaria: 1.04× the mobile subscriptions | 118 per 100#87 of 191 · 2024 | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBulgaria: 1.1× the forest share | 36% of land#79 of 192 · 2024 | 33% of land#94 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBulgaria: 4.78× the CO₂ per person | 5.31 t a year#46 of 185 · 2024 | 1.11 t a year#126 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyGuatemala: 41.7 points higher | 20.4%#105 of 190 · 2021 | 62.1%#35 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityBulgaria: 9.1 points higher | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 90.9%#137 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Guatemala: 1.51× the air pollution | 19.7 µg/m³#86 of 191 · 2023 | 29.7 µg/m³#50 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBulgaria: 24.2 points higher | 44.3% of land#5 of 191 · 2025 | 20.1% of land#82 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBulgaria: 14.7 points higher | 32.2% of land#25 of 190 · 2024 | 17.5% of land#61 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBulgaria: 7.05× the water stress | 40.2%#44 of 176 · 2022 | 5.7%#115 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationGuatemala: 3.28× the rain and snow | 608 mm#130 of 180 · 2022 | 1,996 mm#33 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBulgaria: 0.46 higher | +0.25#82 of 193 · 2025 | −0.21#120 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBulgaria: 0.63 higher | −0.29#101 of 193 · 2025 | −0.92#147 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateGuatemala: 21.3× the homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2023 | 23.4 per 100,000#15 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Presidential republic |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area | — |
| Capital | Sofia | Guatemala City |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Quetzal (GTQ) |
| Official languages | Bulgarian | Spanish |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 | UTC−6 |
| Calling code | +359 | +502 |
| Region | Eastern Europe, Europe | Central America, 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; Guatemala at 16° N is stretched to 1.08×. That difference is why Bulgaria looks so much bigger than it is next to Guatemala. 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 Guatemala?
- Yes. Bulgaria and Guatemala are almost exactly the same size. Bulgaria covers 110,994 km² and Guatemala covers 108,889 km².
- How many times does Guatemala fit into Bulgaria?
- About 1.0 times: Bulgaria has 1.02× the area of Guatemala.
- Why do Bulgaria and Guatemala 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 Guatemala about 1.08×. That is why Bulgaria looks so much bigger than it really is next to Guatemala. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Bulgaria or Guatemala?
- Guatemala: 18,687,881 people against 6,433,302. Density: Bulgaria 58 per km², Guatemala 172 per km².
- Which is richer, Bulgaria or Guatemala?
- By gross national income per person, Bulgaria: $17,780 against $6,360 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.8× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Bulgaria or Guatemala?
- In Bulgaria: life expectancy at birth is 75.8 years, against 72.7 — 3.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bulgaria and Guatemala have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Bulgaria: parliamentary republic; Guatemala: presidential republic.