Military expenditure in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Military expenditure was 5.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Bulgaria, 1998–2024
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of general government expenditure.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 5.5% for military expenditure in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.7% on the previous year and up 55.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Bulgaria peaked at 8.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 2015.
Bulgaria ranks 74th of 161 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Military expenditure in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 7.0% | — |
| 1999 | 7.2% | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 7.1% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 7.8% | +9.9% |
| 2002 | 7.9% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 7.5% | -5.1% |
| 2004 | 6.9% | -8.9% |
| 2005 | 6.6% | -4.2% |
| 2006 | 6.4% | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 6.7% | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 6.4% | -5.3% |
| 2009 | 5.2% | -19.2% |
| 2010 | 4.8% | -7.7% |
| 2011 | 4.1% | -13.5% |
| 2012 | 4.1% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 4.1% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 3.5% | -13.8% |
| 2015 | 3.3% | -5.5% |
| 2016 | 3.8% | +13.9% |
| 2017 | 3.8% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 4.2% | +10.6% |
| 2019 | 8.7% | +106.9% |
| 2020 | 4.2% | -51.8% |
| 2021 | 3.9% | -6.7% |
| 2022 | 4.2% | +7.5% |
| 2023 | 5.2% | +22.9% |
| 2024 | 5.5% | +5.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.1% | 7.0% | 7.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.9% | 5.2% | 7.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.4% | 3.3% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.6% | 3.9% | 5.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 71 Honduras 5.8% compare
- 72 Guinea-Bissau 5.8% compare
- 73 North Macedonia 5.5% compare
- 75 Ecuador 5.5% compare
- 76 Libya 5.5% compare
- 77 Philippines 5.4% compare
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 military expenditure in Bulgaria?
- Military expenditure in Bulgaria was 5.5% in 2024, 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 8.7% in 2019.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 2015.
- How does Bulgaria rank for military expenditure?
- Bulgaria ranks 74th out of 161 countries with data for 2024.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 55.4%. 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 general government expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Military expenditure expressed as a percentage of general government expenditure