Armed forces personnel in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Armed forces personnel was 1.2% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Bulgaria, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel in Bulgaria is 1.2%, measured in 2020.
The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and down 38.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Bulgaria peaked at 4.0% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2017.
That places Bulgaria 57th out of 171 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3.7% | — |
| 1991 | 3.1% | -16.5% |
| 1992 | 2.9% | -7.0% |
| 1993 | 1.5% | -47.2% |
| 1994 | 2.3% | +53.9% |
| 1995 | 4.0% | +70.1% |
| 1996 | 4.0% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 3.9% | -2.5% |
| 1998 | 3.9% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 3.3% | -15.9% |
| 2000 | 3.3% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 3.2% | -3.7% |
| 2002 | 3.0% | -5.5% |
| 2003 | 2.5% | -15.4% |
| 2004 | 2.5% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 2.2% | -14.5% |
| 2007 | 2.1% | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 2.1% | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 1.9% | -11.1% |
| 2010 | 1.9% | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 1.4% | -25.7% |
| 2012 | 1.4% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 1.4% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | -31.7% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | -3.3% |
| 2018 | 1.2% | +21.2% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 1.2% | +2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.3% | 1.5% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.5% | 1.9% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 1.0% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More public sector data for Bulgaria
- Arms imports 3.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2022)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.464 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2022)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 200 % change on previous year (2022)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 3.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2022)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 361.69 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0206 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 17.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 2.33 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 27.63 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Bulgaria?
- Armed forces personnel in Bulgaria was 1.2% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 4.0% in 1996.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2017.
- How does Bulgaria rank for armed forces personnel?
- Bulgaria ranks 57th out of 171 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies, published as part of Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces. Labor force comprises all people who meet the International Labour Organization's definition of the economically active population.