Bulgaria vs South Africa: Life expectancy
Bulgaria
71.4 years
in 2021
South Africa
62.3 years
in 2022
Bulgaria rank
46th
South Africa rank
49th
Life expectancy over time
- Bulgaria
- South Africa
How they compare
Bulgaria currently reports 71.4 years against 62.3 years in South Africa, a difference of 9.1 years.
That makes Bulgaria's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
Across all 62 years both countries report, Bulgaria has been ahead every year.
Bulgaria ranks 46th and South Africa ranks 49th of 49 countries.
Bulgaria has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Bulgaria | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 70.57 years | 54 years | 16.57 years | Bulgaria |
| 1970s | 71.04 years | 56.73 years | 14.31 years | Bulgaria |
| 1980s | 71.31 years | 61.55 years | 9.76 years | Bulgaria |
| 1990s | 71.02 years | 62.35 years | 8.67 years | Bulgaria |
| 2000s | 72.56 years | 55.83 years | 16.73 years | Bulgaria |
| 2010s | 74.63 years | 62.45 years | 12.18 years | Bulgaria |
| 2020s | 72.5 years | 65.75 years | 6.75 years | Bulgaria |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher life expectancy, Bulgaria or South Africa?
- Bulgaria, at 71.4 years against 62.3 years in South Africa as of 2021.
- What is the difference in life expectancy between Bulgaria and South Africa?
- 9.1 years, with Bulgaria ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Bulgaria and South Africa?
- 62 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2021.
- How do Bulgaria and South Africa rank globally for life expectancy?
- Bulgaria ranks 46th and South Africa ranks 49th of 49 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Life expectancy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Period life expectancy at birth, in a given year.