Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 37,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Bulgaria, 1985–2020
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Bulgaria stood at 37,000.
The figure is down 43.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Bulgaria peaked at 150,000 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 31,000, in 2017.
That places Bulgaria 82nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 148,500 | — |
| 1986 | 148,875 | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 149,250 | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 149,625 | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 150,000 | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 129,000 | -14.0% |
| 1991 | 107,000 | -17.1% |
| 1992 | 99,000 | -7.5% |
| 1993 | 52,000 | -47.5% |
| 1994 | 80,000 | +53.8% |
| 1995 | 135,900 | +69.9% |
| 1996 | 137,500 | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 135,500 | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 135,500 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 114,760 | -15.3% |
| 2000 | 113,800 | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 111,300 | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 102,400 | -8.0% |
| 2003 | 85,000 | -17.0% |
| 2004 | 85,000 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 85,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 75,000 | -11.8% |
| 2007 | 75,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 75,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 65,315 | -12.9% |
| 2010 | 65,315 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 47,300 | -27.6% |
| 2012 | 47,300 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 47,300 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 47,300 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 47,300 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 31,300 | -33.8% |
| 2017 | 31,000 | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 36,950 | +19.2% |
| 2019 | 37,000 | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 37,000 | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 149,250 | 148,500 | 150,000 | 5 |
| 1990s | 112,616 | 52,000 | 137,500 | 10 |
| 2000s | 87,282 | 65,315 | 113,800 | 10 |
| 2010s | 43,806 | 31,000 | 65,315 | 10 |
| 2020s | 37,000 | 37,000 | 37,000 | 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, total, gaps filled in Bulgaria?
- Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Bulgaria was 37,000 in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 150,000 in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 31,000 in 2017.
- How does Bulgaria rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
- Bulgaria ranks 82nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 43.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Armed forces personnel, total with 597 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.
Computed from
- Armed forces personnel, total The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Armed forces personnel, total with 597 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.