Bulgaria vs Romania
Bulgaria vs Romania: Adult literacy
Adult literacy: 98.4% in Bulgaria in 2011 and 99.2% in Romania in 2021, by UNESCO estimates. In 2011 the value was higher in Romania, by 0.3 percentage points, or 1 times that in Bulgaria.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- Romania has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2011.
- The world as a whole: 84.7% in 2011.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Bulgaria | Romania | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | – | – | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | – | – | 87.4 |
| 2021 | – | 99.2 | 87.2 |
| 2020 | – | – | 87 |
| 2019 | – | – | 86.8 |
| 2018 | – | – | 86.8 |
| 2017 | – | – | 86.5 |
| 2016 | – | – | 86.3 |
| 2015 | – | – | 86 |
| 2014 | – | – | 85.6 |
| 2013 | – | – | 85.2 |
| 2012 | – | – | 84.9 |
| 2011 | 98.4 | 98.6 | 84.7 |
| 2010 | – | – | 84.4 |
| 2009 | – | – | 83.8 |
| 2008 | – | – | 83.5 |
| 2007 | – | – | 83.1 |
| 2006 | – | – | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | 97.3 | 81.7 |
| 2001 | 98.2 | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | – | – | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | – | 80.9 |
| 1998 | – | – | 80.5 |
| 1997 | – | – | 79.3 |
| 1996 | – | – | 77.3 |
| 1995 | – | – | 76.9 |
| 1994 | – | – | 76.4 |
| 1993 | – | – | 76 |
| 1992 | – | 96.7 | 75.5 |
| 1991 | – | – | 75.1 |
| 1990 | – | – | 74.6 |
| 1989 | – | – | 74.1 |
| 1988 | – | – | 73.6 |
| 1987 | – | – | 71.9 |
| 1986 | – | – | 71.3 |
| 1985 | – | – | 70.7 |
| 1984 | – | – | 70.2 |
| 1983 | – | – | 69.5 |
| 1982 | – | – | 68.9 |
| 1981 | – | – | 68.4 |
| 1980 | – | – | 67.8 |
| 1979 | – | – | 67.2 |
| 1978 | – | – | 66.5 |
| 1977 | – | – | 65.9 |
| 1976 | – | – | 65.6 |
| 1975 | – | – | 65.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
- Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Bulgaria vs Romania
Health
- Life expectancyBulgaria: 75.6 years in 2023Romania: 75.9 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBulgaria: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024Romania: 0.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBulgaria: 4.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023Romania: 4.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterBulgaria: 95.7% in 2022Romania: 82.1% in 2022
- DepressionBulgaria: 2.54% in 2017Romania: 2.36% in 2017
- Suicide rateBulgaria: 9.5 per 100,000 people in 2017Romania: 9.2 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBulgaria: 6.8 million people in 2023Romania: 19.1 million people in 2023
- Population growthBulgaria: -0.52% a year in 2023Romania: -0.53% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBulgaria: 1.75 births per woman in 2023Romania: 1.71 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationBulgaria: 74.2% in 2025Romania: 52.2% in 2025
- Median ageBulgaria: 44.3 years in 2023Romania: 42.6 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBulgaria: 21.8% in 2023Romania: 19.8% in 2023
- Net migration rateBulgaria: 0.8 per 1,000 people in 2023Romania: -1.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingBulgaria: 2.01% of GDP in 2025Romania: 2.28% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsBulgaria: $2.4B in 2025Romania: $8.81B in 2025
- Military spending per personBulgaria: $384 in 2025Romania: $513 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingBulgaria: 5.2% of government spending in 2025Romania: 5.6% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelBulgaria: 37,000 people in 2020Romania: 128,000 people in 2020
- National powerBulgaria: 0.09% of world capability in 2022Romania: 0.23% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersBulgaria: 1.18% of the labour force in 2020Romania: 1.52% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsBulgaria: 540 million TIV in 2025Romania: 421 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsBulgaria: 33 million TIV in 2024Romania: 132 million TIV in 2025