Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Armed forces personnel, total, per capita was 0.0056 units per person in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Bulgaria, 1985–2020
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per person.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 0.0056 units per person for armed forces personnel, total, per capita in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and down 36.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Bulgaria peaked at 0.0169 units per person in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0.0045 units per person, in 2016.
That places Bulgaria 54th 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 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | units per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.0166 units per person | — |
| 1989 | 0.0169 units per person | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 0.0148 units per person | -12.4% |
| 1991 | 0.0124 units per person | -16.2% |
| 1992 | 0.0116 units per person | -6.5% |
| 1993 | 0.0061 units per person | -47.1% |
| 1994 | 0.0095 units per person | +54.4% |
| 1995 | 0.0162 units per person | +70.6% |
| 1996 | 0.0164 units per person | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 0.0163 units per person | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 0.0164 units per person | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 0.014 units per person | -14.8% |
| 2000 | 0.0139 units per person | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 0.0139 units per person | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 0.0131 units per person | -6.0% |
| 2003 | 0.0109 units per person | -16.3% |
| 2004 | 0.011 units per person | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 0.0111 units per person | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 0.0099 units per person | -11.1% |
| 2007 | 0.0099 units per person | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 0.01 units per person | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 0.0088 units per person | -12.4% |
| 2010 | 0.0088 units per person | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 0.0064 units per person | -27.1% |
| 2012 | 0.0065 units per person | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 0.0066 units per person | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 0.0067 units per person | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 0.0068 units per person | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 0.0045 units per person | -33.0% |
| 2017 | 0.0046 units per person | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 0.0055 units per person | +20.8% |
| 2019 | 0.0056 units per person | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 0.0056 units per person | +1.0% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 0.0056 units per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.0045 units per person, 1.3× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 0.0056 units per person is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.0046 units per person, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Bulgaria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +70.6% | 0.0095 units per person | 0.0162 units per person |
| 1994 | +54.4% | 0.0061 units per person | 0.0095 units per person |
| 1993 | -47.1% | 0.0116 units per person | 0.0061 units per person |
| 2016 | -33.0% | 0.0068 units per person | 0.0045 units per person |
| 2011 | -27.1% | 0.0088 units per person | 0.0064 units per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.0167 units per person | 0.0166 units per person | 0.0169 units per person | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.0134 units per person | 0.0061 units per person | 0.0164 units per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0113 units per person | 0.0088 units per person | 0.0139 units per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0062 units per person | 0.0045 units per person | 0.0088 units per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0056 units per person | 0.0056 units per person | 0.0056 units per person | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More public sector data for Bulgaria
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 540.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Bulgaria?
- Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Bulgaria was 0.0056 units per person in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, per capita recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0169 units per person in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, per capita recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0045 units per person in 2016.
- How does Bulgaria rank for armed forces personnel, total, per capita?
- Bulgaria ranks 54th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total, per capita rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.0%. 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, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Armed forces personnel, total divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Armed forces personnel, total ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Armed forces personnel, total The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
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 divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.