Bulgaria (Republic of Bulgaria)

Bulgaria Republic of Bulgaria
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	71st best
Capital	Sofia
Land Area	108 560km21
Location	Europe, The Balkans
Population	7.4m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	74.32yrs (2017)3
GNI	$16 261 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	BG, BGR, 1005
Internet Domain	.bg6
Currency	Lev (BGN)7
Telephone	+3598

1. Overview
2. Bulgaria National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Gender Equality
5. Religion and Beliefs
6. The Internet
7. Public Health Issues
8. Politics and Freedom
9. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
10. Links

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1. Overview

“The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“From wild, wooded mountain ranges speckled with remote villages and enchanting monasteries to vibrant modern cities and long sandy beaches hugging the Black Sea coast, Bulgaria rewards exploration. Bulgaria may attract the majority of its visitors with its long, sandy Black Sea beaches, but there´s much more to see than that. Bulgaria boasts no fewer than seven mountain ranges and varied landscapes ideal for hiking, cycling, climbing and wildlife-watching. And you´ll find some of Europe´s most modern and reasonably priced ski resorts.

The depth of Bulgaria´s history and culture are immediately evident. There are countless churches and a full measure of Orthodox monasteries full of vibrant icons, picturesque villages of timber-framed houses 19th-century revival-era architecture and cobbled lanes, and dramatic reminders of the country´s heritage, from Thracian tombs and Roman ruins to medieval fortresses, Ottoman mosques and communist monuments slowly crumbling away into history.

Bulgaria´s cities reward visitors, with treasure-filled museums and galleries, and parks sprinkled with cafes and restaurants where the coffee is strong, the cuisine hearty and the conversation always animated.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Bulgaria National and Social Development

UN HDI (2016)11
Pos.		Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
54	Barbados	54
55	Uruguay	54
56	Kazakhstan	56
57	Bulgaria	56
58	Bahamas	58
59	Malaysia	59
60	Palau	60
61	Panama	60
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Higher is better Points12
1	Iceland	84.3
2	Sweden	81.7
3	Norway	80.9
	...
68	Belize	56.4
69	Dominican Rep.	56.3
70	Panama	56.2
71	Bulgaria	56.0
72	S. Africa	55.9
73	Serbia	55.9
74	Macedonia	55.6
75	Qatar	55.2
	World Avg	53.8
q=198.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)13
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10013
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
161	Singapore	36.5
162	Latvia	36.7
163	Sweden	37.0
164	Bulgaria	37.0
165	Denmark	37.1
166	Bosnia & Herzegovina	37.3
167	Korea, S.	37.6
168	Estonia	37.9
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Dominica	104.8
2	Palestine	68.4
3	Samoa	67.3
	...
38	Ireland	16.1
39	Belize	16.1
40	Azerbaijan	16.0
41	Bulgaria	16.0
42	Lebanon	15.6
43	Equatorial Guinea	14.9
44	Seychelles	14.6
45	New Zealand	14.5
	World Avg	11.5
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013)15
Pos.		2.0 is best15
1	Korea, N.	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
66	Serbia	1.56
67	Libya	2.44
68	Cambodia	2.45
69	Bulgaria	1.54
70	Bahrain	2.46
71	Thailand	1.54
72	Greece	1.54
73	Georgia	1.53
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Immigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Qatar	86.5
2	Monaco	71.6
3	UAE	70.0
	...
139	Guyana	1.5
140	Tanzania	1.5
141	Bolivia	1.5
142	Bulgaria	1.4
143	Solomon Islands	1.3
144	Niger	1.3
145	Mali	1.2
146	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	1.2
	World Avg	9.2
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)16
Pos.		Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
82	Saudi Arabia	74.44
83	Venezuela	74.39
84	Latvia	74.34
85	Bulgaria	74.32
86	Morocco	74.31
87	Colombia	74.23
88	Jordan	74.18
89	St Kitts & Nevis	73.98
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
Pos.		The Overpopulation of the Earth17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
95	Honduras	7.9m
96	Switzerland	7.7m
97	Israel	7.7m
98	Bulgaria	7.4m
99	Hong Kong	7.2m
100	Papua New Guinea	7.2m
101	Tajikistan	7.1m
102	Paraguay	6.7m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Bulgaria's population is predicted to fall to 6 455 000 by 2030. Developed countries with falling populations face a pension's crises, whereby an incresingly ageing population must be cared for by fewer and fewer workers. Economic stability can be maintained by increasing foreign workers from younger countries. This country has a fertility rate of 1.54. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

• The Overpopulation of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception: How Religion is Making Overpopulation Worse

4. Gender Equality

Gender Inequality (2015)18
Pos.		Lower is better18
1	Switzerland	0.04
2	Denmark	0.04
3	Netherlands	0.04
	...
42	Kazakhstan	0.20
43	USA	0.20
44	Malta	0.22
45	Bulgaria	0.22
46	UAE	0.23
47	Moldova	0.23
48	Bahrain	0.23
49	Hungary	0.25
	World Avg	0.36
q=159.

Year Women Can Vote19
Pos.		Lower is better Year19
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
44	Philippines	1937
45	Uzbekistan	1938
46	Dominican Rep.	1942
47	Bulgaria	1944
48	France	1944
49	Bermuda	1944
50	Jamaica	1944
51	Slovenia	1945
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchialism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.

Bulgaria is on the way towards ending gender inequality but women are still in an unfavourable position much of the time.

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

5. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Disbelief In God (2007)20
Pos.		Higher is better20
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
11	UK	42
12	Cuba	40
13	Slovenia	35
14	Bulgaria	34
15	Hungary	32
16	Norway	31
17	Korea, S.	30
18	Finland	28
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₂₁:

Christian	82.1%
Muslim	13.7%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	4.2%

By adding up the Pew Forum data for the major monotheistic religions we can see that these make up 95.9% of the population. Yet there are simply too many who disbelieve in God for this to be true (34%). This is due to the so-called 'Census Effect', whereby many put down a religion for cultural reasons rather than because it reflects their beliefs. In highly Christian countries, as many as half of those who say they're a Christian lack any connection to a Church, and do not hold Christian beliefs (such as believing in God!).

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Eastern Orthodox 59.4%, Muslim (Sunni) 7.4%, Muslim (Shia) 0.4%, other (including Catholic, Protestant, Armenian Apostolic Orthodox, and Judaism) 1.7%, other (unknown) 27.4%, none 3.7% (2011 census)₂₂.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?

6. The Internet

Internet Users (2016)23
Pos.		Higher is better23
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
78	Belarus	61%
79	St Vincent & Grenadines	60%
80	St Lucia	59%
81	Bulgaria	59%
82	Turkey	58%
83	Romania	58%
84	Venezuela	58%
85	Seychelles	58%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)24
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio24
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
45	Argentina	1.4
46	Faroe Islands	1.4
47	Russia	1.3
48	Bulgaria	1.3
49	Korea, S.	1.2
50	Dominican Rep.	1.1
51	Slovakia	0.8
52	Hong Kong	0.7
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

Internet access has become an essential research tool. It facilitates an endless list of life improvements, from the ability to network and socialize without constraint, to access to a seemingly infinite repository of technical and procedural information on pretty much any task. The universal availability of data has sped up industrial development and personal learning at the national and personal level. Individuals can read any topic they wish regardless of the locality of expert teachers, and, entire nations can develop their technology and understanding of the world simply because they are now exposed to advanced societies and moral discourses online. Like every communications medium, the Internet has issues and causes a small range of problems, but these are insignificant compared to the advantages of having an online populace.

7. Public Health Issues

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)18
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100018
1	Korea, N.	0.5
2	Korea, S.	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
86	Morocco	31.7
87	Botswana	32.3
88	Romania	34.6
89	Bulgaria	37.7
90	Tajikistan	38.1
91	Vietnam	38.6
92	Pakistan	38.7
93	Haiti	39.3
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Alcohol Consumption (2010)25
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita25
1	Libya	0.1
2	Pakistan	0.1
3	Kuwait	0.1
	...
162	Belgium	11.0
163	S. Africa	11.0
164	Spain	11.2
165	Bulgaria	11.4
166	Denmark	11.4
167	UK	11.6
168	Slovenia	11.6
169	Germany	11.8
	World Avg	6.2
q=191.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)26
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %26
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
86	Italy	93.8
87	Austria	93.8
88	Argentina	93.7
89	Bulgaria	93.7
90	Serbia	93.5
91	Egypt	93.4
92	Cape Verde	93.4
93	Burundi	93.3
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Smoking Rates (2014)27
Pos.		Lower is better27
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
148	Poland	1 396
149	Italy	1 443
150	Germany	1 480
151	Bulgaria	1 505
152	Kuwait	1 517
153	Armenia	1 545
154	Turkey	1 581
155	Slovakia	1 618
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)28
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100k28
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
61	Germany	23.9
62	Cuba	24.5
63	Romania	24.5
64	Bulgaria	25
65	Sweden	25.5
66	Slovakia	25.7
67	Czech Rep.	28.3
68	Suriname	28.7
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

8. Politics and Freedom

Corruption (2012-2016)29
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score29
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
	...
73	Solomon Islands	42.0
74	Greece	41.8
75	Senegal	41.8
76	Bulgaria	41.4
77	Brazil	41.2
78	Serbia	40.8
79	Tunisia	40.2
80	Bosnia & Herzegovina	40.0
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009)30
Pos.		Higher is better Treaties30
1	Argentina	24
2	Chile	23
3	Costa Rica	23
	...
40	Liechtenstein	20
41	Iceland	20
42	Romania	20
43	Bulgaria	20
44	Burkina Faso	20
45	Norway	20
46	Portugal	20
47	Poland	20
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom (2014)31
Pos.		Lower is better Rank31
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
37	Hungary	37
38	Costa Rica	38
39	Slovenia	39
40	Bulgaria	40
41	Singapore	40
42	Uruguay	42
43	Georgia	43
44	Croatia	44
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Press Freedom (2013)32
Pos.		Lower is better32
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
	...
83	Greece	2846
84	Kosovo	2847
85	Guinea	2849
86	Bulgaria	2858
87	Madagascar	2862
88	Gabon	2869
89	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2872
90	Paraguay	2878
	World Avg	3249
q=178.

9. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries