Side by side
the European Union and Bulgaria
The same question asked of every column. Numbers that break down by age or sex follow the controls; the rest stay country-wide and say so.
The widest gap is Public spending on them: the European Union €19,707 against Bulgaria €6,370, 3.09× apart.
One question per row
People
Money and work
Family and home
Health and daily life
Education
Public spending
Country and infrastructure
Environment
Where €100 of public spending goes
Every euro each general government spends, sorted into the ten functions all 27 countries report against. Open a row for the ranking of 27 and what sits inside it.
the European Union
Bulgaria
Reference year 2024. Total public spending €100.00 in every column, so the ten shares always add up to one hundred.
Frequently asked: the European Union and Bulgaria
Where do more people live: the European Union or Bulgaria?
The gap is 70×: the European Union 450.6m, Bulgaria 6.4m. People usually resident in the country on 1 January. Eurostat · People & Women in the population · 2025. See the figure
Which covers more ground: the European Union or Bulgaria?
The gap is 38.07×: the European Union 4,225,104, Bulgaria 110,996. Total area of the country, inland water included. Eurostat · Land area & People per square kilometre · 2026. See the figure
Where were more residents born abroad: the European Union or Bulgaria?
The gap is 10.6 points: the European Union 14.4%, Bulgaria 3.8%. Share of residents born in another country. Eurostat records country of birth, not ethnicity. Eurostat · Born abroad & Born outside the EU · 2025. See the figure
Which spends more on health per resident: the European Union or Bulgaria?
The gap is 3.39×: the European Union €2,959, Bulgaria €872. Hospitals, doctors, medicines and medical equipment, and public health programmes. Eurostat · Public spending by function · 2024. See the figure
Which government spends more per resident: the European Union or Bulgaria?
The gap is 3.09×: the European Union €19,707, Bulgaria €6,370. Total general government expenditure divided by the population: all levels of government together. Eurostat · Public spending by function · 2024. See the figure
Who has more to spend, the typical person in the European Union or Bulgaria?
The gap is 2.59×: the European Union €22,939, Bulgaria €8,862. Median equivalised disposable income: household income after taxes and transfers, divided by household size on the OECD-modified scale. What one person has to spend — not a salary. Eurostat · Disposable income per person, Average net income, & Disposable income by age · 2025. See the figure
Where are there more hospital beds per 100,000 people: the European Union or Bulgaria?
The gap is 71.5%: Bulgaria 870, the European Union 507. Beds available in hospitals, per 100,000 residents. Eurostat · Hospital beds · 2024. See the figure
Where are there more university students per 1,000 people: the European Union or Bulgaria?
The gap is 39.5%: the European Union 42.4, Bulgaria 30.4. People in higher education, per 1,000 residents. Eurostat · University students & Students per 1,000 people · 2024. See the figure
Where are more children born per woman: the European Union or Bulgaria?
The gap is 28.4%: Bulgaria 1.72, the European Union 1.34. Children a woman would bear over her life at today’s age-specific birth rates. Eurostat · Children per woman & Age at first child · 2024. See the figure
Where does more energy come from renewables: the European Union or Bulgaria?
The gap is 3.5 points: the European Union 26.2%, Bulgaria 22.7%. Share of final energy use that comes from renewable sources. Eurostat · Renewable energy · 2025. See the figure
Medians where possible, per-capita averages for spending. This person is a composite of published statistics, not the most common person in the country.