Bulgaria vs Serbia
Bulgaria is 25% larger than Serbia.
BulgariaSerbiaBulgaria moved onto Serbia · Equal-area projection
1.25×
Bulgaria is 1.25× the area of Serbia.
 Bulgaria |  Serbia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaBulgaria: 1.25× the area | 110,994 km²#103 of 194 | 88,499 km²#111 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationAbout the same population | 6,433,302#111 of 194 · 2025 | 6,549,143#109 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySerbia: 1.28× the density | 58 / km²#128 of 194 | 74 / km²#112 of 194 |
| Urban populationBulgaria: 1.19× the urban share | 74%#60 of 192 · 2025 | 63%#100 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBulgaria: 1.05× the births per woman | 1.72 per woman#115 of 192 · 2024 | 1.64 per woman#120 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBulgaria: 0.44 points higher | −0.13%#165 of 192 · 2025 | −0.57%#183 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateSerbia: 1.11× the birth rate | 8.3 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 | 9.2 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBulgaria: 1.05× the death rate | 15.6 per 1,000#2 of 192 · 2024 | 14.9 per 1,000#3 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Bulgaria: 0.1 points higher | 14.4%#171 of 192 · 2025 | 14.3%#174 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Serbia: 0.9 points higher | 22.2%#13 of 192 · 2025 | 23.1%#9 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBulgaria: 1.5 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | −2.0 per 1,000#144 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadSerbia: 56.6× the refugees for its size | 0.08 per 1,000#122 of 190 · 2025 | 4.53 per 1,000#29 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancySerbia: 0.2 years longer | 75.8 years#80 of 192 · 2024 | 76.0 years#78 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAbout the same infant mortality | 4.6 per 1,000 births#148 of 191 · 2024 | 4.6 per 1,000 births#148 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBulgaria: 1.4× the doctors per person | 4.33 per 1,000#23 of 178 · 2022 | 3.10 per 1,000#57 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentAbout the same university enrolment | 69.5%#47 of 145 · 2024 | 70.6%#44 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexBulgaria: 0.012 higher | 0.845#54 of 190 · 2023 | 0.833#61 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBulgaria: 1.32× the income per person | $17,780#60 of 185 · 2025 | $13,480#70 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBulgaria: 1.31× the economy | $130.78B2025 | $99.95B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Bulgaria: 1.31× the output per person | $44,451#50 of 184 · 2025 | $33,910#64 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBulgaria: 1.1 points higher | +3.1%#96 of 187 · 2025 | +2.0%#132 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBulgaria: 0.7 points higher | +4.6%#45 of 176 · 2025 | +3.9%#60 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentSerbia: 2.03× the unemployment | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 | 7.1%#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertySerbia: 1.1× the share in extreme poverty | 1.0%#85 of 149 · 2023 | 1.1%#82 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Bulgaria: 6.7 higher | 39.5#41 of 149 · 2023 | 32.8#97 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureSerbia: 13.3 points higher | 4.7% of jobs#132 of 178 · 2025 | 18.0% of jobs#83 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBulgaria: 0.8 points higher | 27.9% of jobs#25 of 178 · 2025 | 27.1% of jobs#27 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBulgaria: 12.5 points higher | 67.4% of jobs#63 of 178 · 2025 | 54.9% of jobs#99 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentSerbia: 0.2 points higher | 3.7% of GDP#52 of 184 · 2025 | 3.9% of GDP#49 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsSerbia: 3.6 points higher | 50.7% of GDP#45 of 168 · 2025 | 54.3% of GDP#42 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingSerbia: 1.37× the military spending | 2.0% of GDP#64 of 155 · 2025 | 2.8% of GDP#36 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersSerbia: 1.06× the share online | 82%#89 of 184 · 2024 | 88%#69 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsSerbia: 1.05× the mobile subscriptions | 118 per 100#87 of 191 · 2024 | 124 per 100#71 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaSerbia: 1.08× the forest share | 36% of land#79 of 192 · 2024 | 39% of land#68 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per person | 5.31 t a year#46 of 185 · 2024 | — |
| Renewable energySerbia: 6.8 points higher | 20.4%#105 of 190 · 2021 | 27.2%#89 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)About the same air pollution | 19.7 µg/m³#86 of 191 · 2023 | 19.3 µg/m³#89 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBulgaria: 30.3 points higher | 44.3% of land#5 of 191 · 2025 | 14.0% of land#123 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBulgaria: 3.2 points higher | 32.2% of land#25 of 190 · 2024 | 29.0% of land#31 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBulgaria: 7.05× the water stress | 40.2%#44 of 176 · 2022 | 5.7%#115 of 176 · 2022 |
| Precipitation | 608 mm#130 of 180 · 2022 | — |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBulgaria: 0.57 higher | +0.25#82 of 193 · 2025 | −0.32#124 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBulgaria: 0.31 higher | −0.29#101 of 193 · 2025 | −0.60#128 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateSerbia: 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 republic |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area | — |
| Capital | Sofia | Belgrade |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Serbian dinar (RSD) |
| Official languages | Bulgarian | Serbian |
| 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 | +381 |
| 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; Serbia at 44° N is stretched to 1.95×. 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 Serbia?
- Yes. Bulgaria is 25% larger than Serbia. Bulgaria covers 110,994 km² and Serbia covers 88,499 km².
- How many times does Serbia fit into Bulgaria?
- About 1.3 times: Bulgaria has 1.25× the area of Serbia.
- Why do Bulgaria and Serbia 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 Serbia about 1.95×. 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 Serbia?
- Serbia: 6,549,143 people against 6,433,302. Density: Bulgaria 58 per km², Serbia 74 per km².
- Which is richer, Bulgaria or Serbia?
- By gross national income per person, Bulgaria: $17,780 against $13,480 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.32× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Bulgaria or Serbia?
- In Serbia: life expectancy at birth is 76.0 years, against 75.8 — 0.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bulgaria and Serbia have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: parliamentary republic (CIA World Factbook).