Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 2.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Bulgaria, 1989–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 2.0% for military expenditure in 2025.
The figure is up 3.7% on the previous year and up 61.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Bulgaria peaked at 4.4% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2017.
Bulgaria ranks 74th of 167 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 37 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 4.4% | — |
| 1990 | 3.8% | -12.8% |
| 1991 | 3.0% | -20.6% |
| 1992 | 3.0% | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 2.6% | -12.2% |
| 1994 | 2.5% | -4.5% |
| 1995 | 1.6% | -34.3% |
| 1996 | 1.7% | +6.0% |
| 1997 | 2.2% | +24.3% |
| 1998 | 2.1% | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 2.6% | +22.9% |
| 2000 | 2.7% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 2.9% | +7.9% |
| 2002 | 2.8% | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 2.7% | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 2.4% | -11.8% |
| 2005 | 2.2% | -5.8% |
| 2006 | 2.1% | -6.9% |
| 2007 | 2.2% | +7.1% |
| 2008 | 2.1% | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 1.7% | -18.4% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | -5.6% |
| 2011 | 1.3% | -20.0% |
| 2012 | 1.3% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 1.5% | +9.3% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | -9.9% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | -4.9% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 1.2% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 1.5% | +19.0% |
| 2019 | 3.2% | +116.6% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | -49.6% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 1.6% | +5.0% |
| 2023 | 1.9% | +22.8% |
| 2024 | 1.9% | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 2.0% | +3.7% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 2.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.1%, 96% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 2.0% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.0%, 99% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of GDP) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +116.6% | 1.5% | 3.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.4% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 2.5% | 1.6% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.4% | 1.7% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.5% | 1.2% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.8% | 1.5% | 2.0% | 6 |
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 military expenditure in Bulgaria?
- Military expenditure in Bulgaria was 2.0% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 4.4% in 1989.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2017.
- How does Bulgaria rank for military expenditure?
- Bulgaria ranks 74th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 61.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Military expenditure (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Military expenditure by country as percentage of gross domestic product