# Bulgaria and North Macedonia compared

Bulgaria and North Macedonia side by side: 43 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 3 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/bgr-vs-mkd
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Bulgaria: 681 — Byzantium acknowledges Bulgaria as an independent state
- North Macedonia: 1991 — North Macedonia becomes independent in the breakup of Yugoslavia

## Economy

| Metric | Bulgaria | Observed | North Macedonia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $113 B | 2024 | $17 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $17,596 | 2024 | $9,292 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 3.4% | 2024 | 3.0% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 2.4% | 2024 | 3.5% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 110.2% | 2024 | 136.3% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Bulgaria | Observed | North Macedonia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 6.4 m | 2024 | 1.8 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 75.8 yrs | 2024 | 76.6 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 73.9% | 2024 | 62.6% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 1.7 | 2024 | 1.4 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Bulgaria | Observed | North Macedonia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 60.6 | 2024 | 58.1 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 66.6 | 2024 | 68.6 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 52.2 | 2024 | 50.7 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 59.4 | 2024 | 59.1 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 56.4 | 2024 | 53.1 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 43.0 | 2024 | 41.2 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Bulgaria | Observed | North Macedonia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 7.9% | 2023 | 7.4% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 4.33 | 2022 | 2.94 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 5.7 | 2024 | 2.8 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 94.0% | 2024 | 73.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 96.2% | 2024 | 80.8% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Bulgaria | Observed | North Macedonia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 98.3% | 2011 | 96.1% | 2002 |
| Education spending | 4.5% | 2022 | 3.3% | 2002 |
| Primary enrolment | 95.3% | 2024 | 96.3% | 2023 |
| Secondary enrolment | 94.8% | 2024 | 90.1% | 2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 69.5% | 2024 | 55.0% | 2023 |

## Technology

| Metric | Bulgaria | Observed | North Macedonia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.8% | 2023 | 0.4% | 2024 |
| Researchers (per million) | 2,401 | 2023 | 888 | 2024 |
| Internet users | 82.4% | 2024 | 93.1% | 2025 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 118 | 2024 | 108 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 13.4% | 2024 | 6.4% | 2024 |

## Geography

| Metric | Bulgaria | Observed | North Macedonia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 108,560 km² | 2023 | 25,220 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 36.2% | 2023 | 39.7% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 46.1% | 2023 | 49.6% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 5.3 | 2024 | 4.0 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 20.4% | 2021 | 19.5% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Bulgaria | Observed | North Macedonia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 0.9% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 0.6% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.2% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 100.0% | 2023 | 100.0% | 2023 |

## Military

| Metric | Bulgaria | Observed | North Macedonia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 2.1% | 2024 | 2.1% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $2.3 B | 2024 | $354 M | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 37,000 | 2020 | 16,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/BGR.md and https://terralore.co/country/MKD.md.

## Entangled histories (3 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 1912–1913: **The Balkan Wars and the partition of Macedonia** — The Balkan Wars ended Ottoman rule and divided historic Macedonia among Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria; the northern Vardar region passed to Serbia, becoming the core of the future republic. (from the North Macedonia chronicle; sources: Macedonia (region, Europe): Map, History & Facts; North Macedonia: History (Ancient, Ottoman, Yugoslav))
- 2020: **Bulgaria blocks EU accession talks** — Bulgaria vetoed the opening of EU accession negotiations over disputes about history, language and identity, including claims that Macedonian derives from Bulgarian. (from the North Macedonia chronicle; sources: How to advance a European solution to Bulgaria's and North Macedonia's dispute; Bulgaria to Maintain Block on North Macedonia's Path to EU)
- 19 Jul 2022: **EU accession negotiations open** — Following a French-brokered compromise, North Macedonia formally opened European Union accession negotiations, though Bulgaria's conditions continued to complicate the process. (from the North Macedonia chronicle; sources: Republic of North Macedonia (EU enlargement policy); How to advance a European solution to Bulgaria's and North Macedonia's dispute)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/BGR/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/MKD/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Bulgaria and North Macedonia compared", terralore.co/compare/bgr-vs-mkd, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.