Bulgaria vs Iceland
Bulgaria is 8% larger than Iceland.
BulgariaIcelandBulgaria moved onto Iceland · Equal-area projection
1.08×
Bulgaria is 1.08× the area of Iceland.
 Bulgaria |  Iceland | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaBulgaria: 1.08× the area | 110,994 km²#103 of 194 | 103,004 km²#106 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationBulgaria: 16.4× the population | 6,433,302#111 of 194 · 2025 | 392,404#172 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBulgaria: 15.2× the density | 58 / km²#128 of 194 | 3.8 / km²#191 of 194 |
| Urban populationIceland: 1.27× the urban share | 74%#60 of 192 · 2025 | 94%#12 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBulgaria: 1.1× the births per woman | 1.72 per woman#115 of 192 · 2024 | 1.56 per woman#127 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthIceland: 1.64 points higher | −0.13%#165 of 192 · 2025 | +1.51%#68 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateIceland: 1.35× the birth rate | 8.3 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 | 11.2 per 1,000#119 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBulgaria: 2.29× the death rate | 15.6 per 1,000#2 of 192 · 2024 | 6.8 per 1,000#112 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Iceland: 3.1 points higher | 14.4%#171 of 192 · 2025 | 17.5%#135 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Bulgaria: 6.2 points higher | 22.2%#13 of 192 · 2025 | 16.0%#51 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationIceland: 7.4 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | +6.9 per 1,000#13 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.08 per 1,000#122 of 190 · 2025 | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyIceland: 7.0 years longer | 75.8 years#80 of 192 · 2024 | 82.8 years#21 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBulgaria: 2.19× the infant mortality | 4.6 per 1,000 births#148 of 191 · 2024 | 2.1 per 1,000 births#180 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsAbout as many doctors per person | 4.33 per 1,000#23 of 178 · 2022 | 4.37 per 1,000#21 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentIceland: 1.1× the university enrolment | 69.5%#47 of 145 · 2024 | 76.5%#35 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexIceland: 0.127 higher | 0.845#54 of 190 · 2023 | 0.972#1 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaIceland: 5.02× the income per person | $17,780#60 of 185 · 2025 | $89,220#4 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBulgaria: 3.39× the economy | $130.78B2025 | $38.58B2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Iceland: 1.88× the output per person | $44,451#50 of 184 · 2025 | $83,431#11 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBulgaria: 1.8 points higher | +3.1%#96 of 187 · 2025 | +1.3%#148 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBulgaria: 0.5 points higher | +4.6%#45 of 176 · 2025 | +4.1%#52 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentAbout the same unemployment | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 | 3.6%#119 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyBulgaria: 10× the share in extreme poverty | 1.0%#85 of 149 · 2023 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2019 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Bulgaria: 12.7 higher | 39.5#41 of 149 · 2023 | 26.8#136 of 149 · 2019 |
| Jobs in agricultureBulgaria: 1.1 points higher | 4.7% of jobs#132 of 178 · 2025 | 3.6% of jobs#141 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBulgaria: 9.7 points higher | 27.9% of jobs#25 of 178 · 2025 | 18.2% of jobs#102 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesIceland: 10.7 points higher | 67.4% of jobs#63 of 178 · 2025 | 78.1% of jobs#22 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentBulgaria: 5.9 points higher | 3.7% of GDP#52 of 184 · 2025 | -2.2% of GDP#176 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBulgaria: 10.6 points higher | 50.7% of GDP#45 of 168 · 2025 | 40.1% of GDP#71 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | 2.0% of GDP#64 of 155 · 2025 | 0.0% of GDP#153 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersIceland: 1.19× the share online | 82%#89 of 184 · 2024 | 98%#10 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsAbout as many mobile subscriptions | 118 per 100#87 of 191 · 2024 | 121 per 100#78 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBulgaria: 60.7× the forest share | 36% of land#79 of 192 · 2024 | 1% of land#184 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personIceland: 1.6× the CO₂ per person | 5.31 t a year#46 of 185 · 2024 | 8.52 t a year#22 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyIceland: 62.0 points higher | 20.4%#105 of 190 · 2021 | 82.4%#13 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Bulgaria: 4.02× the air pollution | 19.7 µg/m³#86 of 191 · 2023 | 4.9 µg/m³#183 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBulgaria: 23.4 points higher | 44.3% of land#5 of 191 · 2025 | 20.9% of land#80 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBulgaria: 31.0 points higher | 32.2% of land#25 of 190 · 2024 | 1.2% of land#170 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBulgaria: 101× the water stress | 40.2%#44 of 176 · 2022 | 0.4%#167 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationIceland: 3.19× the rain and snow | 608 mm#130 of 180 · 2022 | 1,940 mm#36 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityIceland: 1.07 higher | +0.25#82 of 193 · 2025 | +1.32#10 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionIceland: 2.11 higher | −0.29#101 of 193 · 2025 | +1.82#11 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateIceland: 1.18× the homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2023 | 1.3 per 100,000#92 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Parliamentary republicunitary parliamentary republic |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area | NATO, Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Sofia | Reykjavik |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Icelandic króna (ISK) |
| Official languages | Bulgarian | Icelandic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 | UTC |
| Calling code | +359 | +354 |
| Region | Eastern Europe, Europe | Northern 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; Iceland at 65° N is stretched to 5.6×. That difference is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it is next to Bulgaria. 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 Iceland?
- Yes. Bulgaria is 8% larger than Iceland. Bulgaria covers 110,994 km² and Iceland covers 103,004 km².
- How many times does Iceland fit into Bulgaria?
- About 1.1 times: Bulgaria has 1.08× the area of Iceland.
- Why do Bulgaria and Iceland 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 Iceland about 5.6×. That is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it really is next to Bulgaria. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Bulgaria or Iceland?
- Bulgaria: 6,433,302 people against 392,404. Density: Bulgaria 58 per km², Iceland 3.8 per km².
- Which is richer, Bulgaria or Iceland?
- By gross national income per person, Iceland: $89,220 against $17,780 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 5.02× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Bulgaria or Iceland?
- In Iceland: life expectancy at birth is 82.8 years, against 75.8 — 7.0 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bulgaria and Iceland have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: parliamentary republic (CIA World Factbook).