Bulgaria vs Iran, Islamic Republic of: Military spending as a share of GDP

Bulgaria
1.8%
in 2019
Iran, Islamic Republic of
1.9%
in 2019
Bulgaria rank
53rd
Iran, Islamic Republic of rank
50th

Military spending as a share of GDP over time

  • Bulgaria
  • Iran, Islamic Republic of
05101520185519372019

How they compare

Iran, Islamic Republic of currently reports 1.9% against 1.8% in Bulgaria, a difference of 0.1%.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 112 shared years of data; in 1908 it was Bulgaria ahead.

Bulgaria ranks 53rd and Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 50th of 172 countries.

Across the 12 decades both report, Bulgaria averaged higher in 11 and Iran, Islamic Republic of in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Bulgaria Iran, Islamic Republic of Difference Ahead
1900s 14.8% 3.7% 11.1% Bulgaria
1910s 15.0% 2.3% 12.7% Bulgaria
1920s 6.9% 0.7% 6.2% Bulgaria
1930s 8.4% 0.9% 7.5% Bulgaria
1940s 7.0% 1.4% 5.6% Bulgaria
1950s 9.4% 1.7% 7.7% Bulgaria
1960s 6.9% 2.0% 5.0% Bulgaria
1970s 8.6% 6.5% 2.2% Bulgaria
1980s 10.2% 6.2% 3.9% Bulgaria
1990s 2.7% 2.1% 0.7% Bulgaria
2000s 1.5% 1.4% 0.2% Bulgaria
2010s 1.1% 2.1% 1.0% Iran, Islamic Republic of

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher military spending as a share of gdp, Bulgaria or Iran, Islamic Republic of?
Iran, Islamic Republic of, at 1.9% against 1.8% in Bulgaria as of 2019.
What is the difference in military spending as a share of gdp between Bulgaria and Iran, Islamic Republic of?
0.1%, with Iran, Islamic Republic of ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Bulgaria and Iran, Islamic Republic of?
112 years are reported by both, from 1908 to 2019.
How do Bulgaria and Iran, Islamic Republic of rank globally for military spending as a share of gdp?
Bulgaria ranks 53rd and Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 50th of 172 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Bulgaria vs Iran, Islamic Republic of: Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid, drawing on Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/military-spending-as-a-share-of-gdp-gmsd/bulgaria/iran-islamic-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Military spending as a share of GDP
Unit
% of GDP
Source
Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
172 places, 14,793 data points, 1816–2019
Last refreshed

Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).