Bulgaria vs Russia
Russia is 154 times larger than Bulgaria. Bulgaria would fit into Russia about 154 times.
BulgariaRussiaBulgaria moved onto Russia · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.01×
Bulgaria is 0.01× the area of Russia. Put the other way, Russia is 154× the size of Bulgaria.
 Bulgaria |  Russia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRussia: 154× the area | 110,994 km²#103 of 194 | 17,075,400 km²#1 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 14 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRussia: 22.3× the population | 6,433,302#111 of 194 · 2025 | 143,513,328#9 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBulgaria: 6.9× the density | 58 / km²#128 of 194 | 8.4 / km²#183 of 194 |
| Urban populationAbout the same urban share | 74%#60 of 192 · 2025 | 75%#57 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBulgaria: 1.21× the births per woman | 1.72 per woman#115 of 192 · 2024 | 1.42 per woman#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthRussia: 0.02 points higher | −0.13%#165 of 192 · 2025 | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAbout the same birth rate | 8.3 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 | 8.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBulgaria: 1.26× the death rate | 15.6 per 1,000#2 of 192 · 2024 | 12.4 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Russia: 2.6 points higher | 14.4%#171 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Bulgaria: 4.4 points higher | 22.2%#13 of 192 · 2025 | 17.8%#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBulgaria: 1.3 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadRussia: 8.63× the refugees for its size | 0.08 per 1,000#122 of 190 · 2025 | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBulgaria: 2.4 years longer | 75.8 years#80 of 192 · 2024 | 73.4 years#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBulgaria: 1.12× the infant mortality | 4.6 per 1,000 births#148 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsRussia: 1.18× the doctors per person | 4.33 per 1,000#23 of 178 · 2022 | 5.11 per 1,000#8 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentBulgaria: 1.15× the university enrolment | 69.5%#47 of 145 · 2024 | 60.4%#56 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexBulgaria: 0.013 higher | 0.845#54 of 190 · 2023 | 0.832#63 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBulgaria: 1.11× the income per person | $17,780#60 of 185 · 2025 | $15,960#63 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPRussia: 19.6× the economy | $130.78B2025 | $2.56T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Russia: 1.12× the output per person | $44,451#50 of 184 · 2025 | $49,568#45 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBulgaria: 2.1 points higher | +3.1%#96 of 187 · 2025 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationRussia: 4.1 points higher | +4.6%#45 of 176 · 2025 | +8.7%#25 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBulgaria: 1.67× the unemployment | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 | 2.1%#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyBulgaria: 10× the share in extreme poverty | 1.0%#85 of 149 · 2023 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Bulgaria: 6.5 higher | 39.5#41 of 149 · 2023 | 33.0#94 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureRussia: 0.4 points higher | 4.7% of jobs#132 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBulgaria: 2.1 points higher | 27.9% of jobs#25 of 178 · 2025 | 25.8% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesRussia: 1.7 points higher | 67.4% of jobs#63 of 178 · 2025 | 69.1% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentBulgaria: 3.3 points higher | 3.7% of GDP#52 of 184 · 2025 | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBulgaria: 32.5 points higher | 50.7% of GDP#45 of 168 · 2025 | 18.2% of GDP#138 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingRussia: 3.73× the military spending | 2.0% of GDP#64 of 155 · 2025 | 7.5% of GDP#4 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersRussia: 1.15× the share online | 82%#89 of 184 · 2024 | 94%#28 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRussia: 1.58× the mobile subscriptions | 118 per 100#87 of 191 · 2024 | 186 per 100#5 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaRussia: 1.4× the forest share | 36% of land#79 of 192 · 2024 | 51% of land#47 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRussia: 2.63× the CO₂ per person | 5.31 t a year#46 of 185 · 2024 | 14.0 t a year#12 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBulgaria: 16.9 points higher | 20.4%#105 of 190 · 2021 | 3.5%#162 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Bulgaria: 1.7× the air pollution | 19.7 µg/m³#86 of 191 · 2023 | 11.6 µg/m³#141 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBulgaria: 32.8 points higher | 44.3% of land#5 of 191 · 2025 | 11.5% of land#138 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBulgaria: 24.8 points higher | 32.2% of land#25 of 190 · 2024 | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBulgaria: 9.8× the water stress | 40.2%#44 of 176 · 2022 | 4.1%#129 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBulgaria: 1.32× the rain and snow | 608 mm#130 of 180 · 2022 | 460 mm#145 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBulgaria: 1.19 higher | +0.25#82 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBulgaria: 0.69 higher | −0.29#101 of 193 · 2025 | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateRussia: 6.18× the homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2023 | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Semi-presidential republicsemi-presidential federation |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area | G20, BRICS |
| Capital | Sofia | Moscow |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Russian ruble (RUB) |
| Official languages | Bulgarian | Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Ossetian, Crimean Tatar, Yakut, Avar, Udmurt, Tuvan, Erzya, Adyghe, Komi, Buryat, Lezgian, Karachay-Balkar, Ingush, Mari, Moksha, Kabardian, Abaza, Kalmyk, Khakas, Lak, Kumyk, Nogai, Rutulian, Tabasaran, Tat, Aghul, Tsakhur, Dargwa, Southern Altai |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 | UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+12, 11 time zones |
| Calling code | +359 | +7 |
| 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; Russia at 66° N is stretched to 6.06×. That difference is why Russia 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 Russia?
- No. Bulgaria is 154 times smaller than Russia. Bulgaria covers 110,994 km² and Russia covers 17,075,400 km².
- How many times does Bulgaria fit into Russia?
- About 154 times: Russia has 154× the area of Bulgaria.
- Why do Bulgaria and Russia 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 Russia about 6.06×. That is why Russia 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 Russia?
- Russia: 143,513,328 people against 6,433,302. Density: Bulgaria 58 per km², Russia 8.4 per km².
- Which is richer, Bulgaria or Russia?
- By gross national income per person, Bulgaria: $17,780 against $15,960 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.11× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Bulgaria or Russia?
- In Bulgaria: life expectancy at birth is 75.8 years, against 73.4 — 2.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bulgaria and Russia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Bulgaria: parliamentary republic; Russia: semi-presidential republic.