Bulgaria vs Romania
Romania is 2.15 times larger than Bulgaria. Bulgaria would fit into Romania about 2.1 times.
BulgariaRomaniaBulgaria moved onto Romania · Equal-area projection
0.47×
Bulgaria is 0.47× the area of Romania. Put the other way, Romania is 2.15× the size of Bulgaria.
 Bulgaria |  Romania | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRomania: 2.15× the area | 110,994 km²#103 of 194 | 238,397 km²#81 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRomania: 2.96× the population | 6,433,302#111 of 194 · 2025 | 19,020,271#68 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityRomania: 1.38× the density | 58 / km²#128 of 194 | 80 / km²#104 of 194 |
| Urban populationBulgaria: 1.42× the urban share | 74%#60 of 192 · 2025 | 52%#129 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBulgaria: 1.24× the births per woman | 1.72 per woman#115 of 192 · 2024 | 1.39 per woman#159 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBulgaria: 0.04 points higher | −0.13%#165 of 192 · 2025 | −0.17%#169 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBulgaria: 1.11× the birth rate | 8.3 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 | 7.5 per 1,000#177 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBulgaria: 1.22× the death rate | 15.6 per 1,000#2 of 192 · 2024 | 12.8 per 1,000#13 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Romania: 1.2 points higher | 14.4%#171 of 192 · 2025 | 15.6%#155 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Bulgaria: 2.1 points higher | 22.2%#13 of 192 · 2025 | 20.1%#32 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBulgaria: 1.0 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | −1.5 per 1,000#128 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadRomania: 2.0× the refugees for its size | 0.08 per 1,000#122 of 190 · 2025 | 0.16 per 1,000#109 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyRomania: 0.7 years longer | 75.8 years#80 of 192 · 2024 | 76.5 years#72 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityRomania: 1.3× the infant mortality | 4.6 per 1,000 births#148 of 191 · 2024 | 6.0 per 1,000 births#137 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBulgaria: 1.19× the doctors per person | 4.33 per 1,000#23 of 178 · 2022 | 3.63 per 1,000#40 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentBulgaria: 1.26× the university enrolment | 69.5%#47 of 145 · 2024 | 55.2%#64 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexThe same | 0.845#54 of 190 · 2023 | 0.845#54 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaRomania: 1.14× the income per person | $17,780#60 of 185 · 2025 | $20,190#53 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPRomania: 3.28× the economy | $130.78B2025 | $428.68B2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Romania: 1.14× the output per person | $44,451#50 of 184 · 2025 | $50,895#43 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBulgaria: 2.4 points higher | +3.1%#96 of 187 · 2025 | +0.7%#162 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationRomania: 2.6 points higher | +4.6%#45 of 176 · 2025 | +7.2%#33 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentRomania: 1.71× the unemployment | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 | 6.0%#71 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyBulgaria: 1.43× the share in extreme poverty | 1.0%#85 of 149 · 2023 | 0.7%#98 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Bulgaria: 9.7 higher | 39.5#41 of 149 · 2023 | 29.8#121 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureRomania: 6.2 points higher | 4.7% of jobs#132 of 178 · 2025 | 10.9% of jobs#107 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryRomania: 4.7 points higher | 27.9% of jobs#25 of 178 · 2025 | 32.6% of jobs#10 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBulgaria: 10.9 points higher | 67.4% of jobs#63 of 178 · 2025 | 56.5% of jobs#95 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentBulgaria: 1.5 points higher | 3.7% of GDP#52 of 184 · 2025 | 2.2% of GDP#88 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBulgaria: 15.2 points higher | 50.7% of GDP#45 of 168 · 2025 | 35.5% of GDP#83 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingRomania: 1.13× the military spending | 2.0% of GDP#64 of 155 · 2025 | 2.3% of GDP#48 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersRomania: 1.11× the share online | 82%#89 of 184 · 2024 | 91%#47 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsAbout as many mobile subscriptions | 118 per 100#87 of 191 · 2024 | 120 per 100#82 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBulgaria: 1.21× the forest share | 36% of land#79 of 192 · 2024 | 30% of land#102 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBulgaria: 1.43× the CO₂ per person | 5.31 t a year#46 of 185 · 2024 | 3.72 t a year#69 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyRomania: 3.2 points higher | 20.4%#105 of 190 · 2021 | 23.6%#97 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Bulgaria: 1.23× the air pollution | 19.7 µg/m³#86 of 191 · 2023 | 16.0 µg/m³#108 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBulgaria: 19.7 points higher | 44.3% of land#5 of 191 · 2025 | 24.6% of land#52 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landRomania: 4.2 points higher | 32.2% of land#25 of 190 · 2024 | 36.4% of land#18 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBulgaria: 5.29× the water stress | 40.2%#44 of 176 · 2022 | 7.6%#103 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationRomania: 1.05× the rain and snow | 608 mm#130 of 180 · 2022 | 637 mm#123 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBulgaria: 0.04 higher | +0.25#82 of 193 · 2025 | +0.21#85 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionRomania: 0.29 higher | −0.29#101 of 193 · 2025 | 0.00#82 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateAbout the same homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2023 | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Semi-presidential republic |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area | EU, NATO, Schengen Area |
| Capital | Sofia | Bucharest |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Romanian leu (RON) |
| Official languages | Bulgarian | Romanian |
| 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 | +40 |
| Region | Eastern Europe, Europe | Eastern 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; Romania at 46° N is stretched to 2.06×. 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 Romania?
- No. Bulgaria is 2.15 times smaller than Romania. Bulgaria covers 110,994 km² and Romania covers 238,397 km².
- How many times does Bulgaria fit into Romania?
- About 2.1 times: Romania has 2.15× the area of Bulgaria.
- Why do Bulgaria and Romania 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 Romania about 2.06×. 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 Romania?
- Romania: 19,020,271 people against 6,433,302. Density: Bulgaria 58 per km², Romania 80 per km².
- Which is richer, Bulgaria or Romania?
- By gross national income per person, Romania: $20,190 against $17,780 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.14× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Bulgaria or Romania?
- In Romania: life expectancy at birth is 76.5 years, against 75.8 — 0.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bulgaria and Romania have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Bulgaria: parliamentary republic; Romania: semi-presidential republic.