Bulgaria vs Malawi

Malawi is 7% larger than Bulgaria.

BulgariaMalawiBulgaria moved onto Malawi · Equal-area projection
0.94×
Bulgaria is 0.94× the area of Malawi. Put the other way, Malawi is 1.07× the size of Bulgaria.
BulgariaMalawi
Area110,994 km²118,484 km²
Population6,433,30222,216,120
Density58 / km²188 / km²
CapitalSofiaLilongwe
RegionEastern EuropeEastern Africa
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours53

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; Malawi at 13° S is stretched to 1.06×. That difference is why Bulgaria looks so much bigger than it is next to Malawi. 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 Malawi?
No. Bulgaria is 6% smaller than Malawi. Bulgaria covers 110,994 km² and Malawi covers 118,484 km².
How many times does Bulgaria fit into Malawi?
About 1.1 times: Malawi has 1.07× the area of Bulgaria.
Why do Bulgaria and Malawi 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 Malawi about 1.06×. That is why Bulgaria looks so much bigger than it really is next to Malawi. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Bulgaria or Malawi?
Malawi: 22,216,120 people against 6,433,302. Density: Bulgaria 58 per km², Malawi 188 per km².