Bulgaria vs North Macedonia
Bulgaria is 4.32 times larger than North Macedonia. North Macedonia would fit into Bulgaria about 4.3 times.
BulgariaNorth MacedoniaBulgaria moved onto North Macedonia · Equal-area projection
4.32×
Bulgaria is 4.32× the area of North Macedonia.
 Bulgaria |  North Macedonia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaBulgaria: 4.32× the area | 110,994 km²#103 of 194 | 25,713 km²#146 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationBulgaria: 3.53× the population | 6,433,302#111 of 194 · 2025 | 1,820,909#149 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNorth Macedonia: 1.22× the density | 58 / km²#128 of 194 | 71 / km²#115 of 194 |
| Urban populationBulgaria: 1.18× the urban share | 74%#60 of 192 · 2025 | 63%#98 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBulgaria: 1.23× the births per woman | 1.72 per woman#115 of 192 · 2024 | 1.40 per woman#157 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBulgaria: 0.06 points higher | −0.13%#165 of 192 · 2025 | −0.19%#173 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateNorth Macedonia: 1.06× the birth rate | 8.3 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 | 8.8 per 1,000#158 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBulgaria: 1.41× the death rate | 15.6 per 1,000#2 of 192 · 2024 | 11.1 per 1,000#24 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15North Macedonia: 2.1 points higher | 14.4%#171 of 192 · 2025 | 16.5%#146 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Bulgaria: 3.7 points higher | 22.2%#13 of 192 · 2025 | 18.5%#37 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBulgaria: 2.6 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | −3.1 per 1,000#160 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadNorth Macedonia: 13× the refugees for its size | 0.08 per 1,000#122 of 190 · 2025 | 1.04 per 1,000#57 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNorth Macedonia: 0.8 years longer | 75.8 years#80 of 192 · 2024 | 76.6 years#70 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBulgaria: 1.84× the infant mortality | 4.6 per 1,000 births#148 of 191 · 2024 | 2.5 per 1,000 births#173 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBulgaria: 1.47× the doctors per person | 4.33 per 1,000#23 of 178 · 2022 | 2.94 per 1,000#62 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentBulgaria: 1.26× the university enrolment | 69.5%#47 of 145 · 2024 | 55.0%#66 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexBulgaria: 0.030 higher | 0.845#54 of 190 · 2023 | 0.815#67 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBulgaria: 1.87× the income per person | $17,780#60 of 185 · 2025 | $9,490#82 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBulgaria: 6.85× the economy | $130.78B2025 | $19.1B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Bulgaria: 1.59× the output per person | $44,451#50 of 184 · 2025 | $28,029#74 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthNorth Macedonia: 0.4 points higher | +3.1%#96 of 187 · 2025 | +3.5%#86 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBulgaria: 0.5 points higher | +4.6%#45 of 176 · 2025 | +4.1%#52 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentNorth Macedonia: 3.51× the unemployment | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 | 12.3%#23 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyNorth Macedonia: 3.9× the share in extreme poverty | 1.0%#85 of 149 · 2023 | 3.9%#59 of 149 · 2019 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Bulgaria: 6.0 higher | 39.5#41 of 149 · 2023 | 33.5#87 of 149 · 2019 |
| Jobs in agricultureNorth Macedonia: 3.8 points higher | 4.7% of jobs#132 of 178 · 2025 | 8.5% of jobs#116 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNorth Macedonia: 2.7 points higher | 27.9% of jobs#25 of 178 · 2025 | 30.6% of jobs#17 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBulgaria: 6.5 points higher | 67.4% of jobs#63 of 178 · 2025 | 60.9% of jobs#81 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentBulgaria: 0.2 points higher | 3.7% of GDP#52 of 184 · 2025 | 3.5% of GDP#56 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsNorth Macedonia: 8.9 points higher | 50.7% of GDP#45 of 168 · 2025 | 59.6% of GDP#34 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingAbout the same military spending | 2.0% of GDP#64 of 155 · 2025 | 2.0% of GDP#66 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersNorth Macedonia: 1.13× the share online | 82%#89 of 184 · 2024 | 93%#39 of 184 · 2025 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBulgaria: 1.09× the mobile subscriptions | 118 per 100#87 of 191 · 2024 | 108 per 100#114 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaNorth Macedonia: 1.12× the forest share | 36% of land#79 of 192 · 2024 | 41% of land#65 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBulgaria: 1.33× the CO₂ per person | 5.31 t a year#46 of 185 · 2024 | 4.00 t a year#61 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBulgaria: 0.9 points higher | 20.4%#105 of 190 · 2021 | 19.5%#109 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)North Macedonia: 1.11× the air pollution | 19.7 µg/m³#86 of 191 · 2023 | 21.8 µg/m³#73 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBulgaria: 15.3 points higher | 44.3% of land#5 of 191 · 2025 | 29.0% of land#37 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBulgaria: 16.0 points higher | 32.2% of land#25 of 190 · 2024 | 16.2% of land#66 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNorth Macedonia: 1.31× the water stress | 40.2%#44 of 176 · 2022 | 52.6%#35 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationAbout the same rain and snow | 608 mm#130 of 180 · 2022 | 619 mm#128 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNorth Macedonia: 0.13 higher | +0.25#82 of 193 · 2025 | +0.38#76 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBulgaria: 0.01 higher | −0.29#101 of 193 · 2025 | −0.30#102 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateNorth Macedonia: 1.36× the homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2023 | 1.5 per 100,000#86 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Parliamentary republic |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area | NATO |
| Capital | Sofia | Skopje |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Macedonian denar (MKD) |
| Official languages | Bulgarian | Albanian, Macedonian |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +359 | +389 |
| 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; North Macedonia at 42° N is stretched to 1.79×. 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 North Macedonia?
- Yes. Bulgaria is 4.32 times larger than North Macedonia. Bulgaria covers 110,994 km² and North Macedonia covers 25,713 km².
- How many times does North Macedonia fit into Bulgaria?
- About 4.3 times: Bulgaria has 4.32× the area of North Macedonia.
- Why do Bulgaria and North Macedonia 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 North Macedonia about 1.79×. 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 North Macedonia?
- Bulgaria: 6,433,302 people against 1,820,909. Density: Bulgaria 58 per km², North Macedonia 71 per km².
- Which is richer, Bulgaria or North Macedonia?
- By gross national income per person, Bulgaria: $17,780 against $9,490 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.87× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Bulgaria or North Macedonia?
- In North Macedonia: life expectancy at birth is 76.6 years, against 75.8 — 0.8 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bulgaria and North Macedonia have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: parliamentary republic (CIA World Factbook).