Military spending as a share of GDP in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.8% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
1.8%
Change on year
up 75.3%
World rank
53rd
of 172 countries
All-time high
21.3%
in 1916
All-time low
0.8%
in 2015
Years of data
112
1908–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Bulgaria, 1908–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 1.8% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2019.
That represents a change of up 75.3% on the previous year and up 32.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Bulgaria peaked at 21.3% in 1916 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2015.
Bulgaria ranks 53rd of 172 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1908 | 14.0% | — |
| 1909 | 15.5% | +10.6% |
| 1910 | 14.6% | -5.7% |
| 1911 | 14.7% | +0.7% |
| 1912 | 13.2% | -10.1% |
| 1913 | 16.2% | +22.6% |
| 1914 | 14.6% | -10.4% |
| 1915 | 19.4% | +33.1% |
| 1916 | 21.3% | +9.9% |
| 1917 | 19.0% | -10.9% |
| 1918 | 11.9% | -37.2% |
| 1919 | 5.0% | -58.1% |
| 1920 | 3.9% | -21.6% |
| 1921 | 4.7% | +20.2% |
| 1922 | 4.7% | -0.0% |
| 1923 | 9.2% | +95.9% |
| 1924 | 9.3% | +1.2% |
| 1925 | 8.7% | -6.6% |
| 1926 | 8.3% | -4.9% |
| 1927 | 7.3% | -12.1% |
| 1928 | 7.0% | -3.9% |
| 1929 | 6.4% | -7.9% |
| 1930 | 6.3% | -2.6% |
| 1931 | 6.0% | -3.8% |
| 1932 | 5.9% | -2.7% |
| 1933 | 5.6% | -4.9% |
| 1934 | 8.2% | +48.0% |
| 1935 | 10.1% | +22.3% |
| 1936 | 10.4% | +3.4% |
| 1937 | 10.4% | -0.1% |
| 1938 | 10.9% | +4.6% |
| 1939 | 10.6% | -2.3% |
| 1940 | 11.8% | +11.2% |
| 1941 | 10.3% | -13.4% |
| 1942 | 8.6% | -16.4% |
| 1943 | 6.9% | -20.1% |
| 1944 | 7.1% | +3.0% |
| 1945 | 7.6% | +8.2% |
| 1946 | 5.1% | -32.9% |
| 1947 | 4.3% | -15.8% |
| 1948 | 4.1% | -6.0% |
| 1949 | 4.7% | +16.8% |
| 1950 | 4.9% | +3.1% |
| 1951 | 8.7% | +78.7% |
| 1952 | 11.2% | +27.8% |
| 1953 | 11.9% | +6.4% |
| 1954 | 11.4% | -3.6% |
| 1955 | 10.2% | -11.2% |
| 1956 | 10.3% | +1.8% |
| 1957 | 9.1% | -11.5% |
| 1958 | 8.8% | -3.8% |
| 1959 | 7.2% | -17.9% |
| 1960 | 6.8% | -5.7% |
| 1961 | 7.4% | +7.9% |
| 1962 | 7.2% | -1.6% |
| 1963 | 6.8% | -6.4% |
| 1964 | 6.3% | -7.3% |
| 1965 | 6.0% | -4.4% |
| 1966 | 6.7% | +10.6% |
| 1967 | 7.2% | +7.8% |
| 1968 | 7.3% | +1.6% |
| 1969 | 7.7% | +5.7% |
| 1970 | 8.8% | +14.5% |
| 1971 | 12.4% | +40.9% |
| 1972 | 11.3% | -8.8% |
| 1973 | 8.7% | -23.0% |
| 1974 | 8.6% | -1.9% |
| 1975 | 7.5% | -11.9% |
| 1976 | 7.7% | +2.8% |
| 1977 | 7.6% | -1.9% |
| 1978 | 6.5% | -14.0% |
| 1979 | 7.0% | +7.7% |
| 1980 | 7.6% | +7.7% |
| 1981 | 7.9% | +4.7% |
| 1982 | 9.2% | +16.3% |
| 1983 | 10.3% | +12.1% |
| 1984 | 10.8% | +4.8% |
| 1985 | 10.7% | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 11.5% | +7.2% |
| 1987 | 11.9% | +3.5% |
| 1988 | 11.4% | -3.6% |
| 1989 | 10.3% | -9.5% |
| 1990 | 7.7% | -25.5% |
| 1991 | 4.1% | -47.0% |
| 1992 | 3.2% | -21.2% |
| 1993 | 2.5% | -22.0% |
| 1994 | 1.9% | -22.4% |
| 1995 | 1.5% | -21.3% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | -8.0% |
| 1997 | 1.5% | +7.2% |
| 1998 | 1.6% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 1.7% | +7.7% |
| 2000 | 1.5% | -7.9% |
| 2001 | 1.5% | -4.3% |
| 2002 | 1.5% | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 1.5% | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 1.6% | +6.8% |
| 2005 | 1.5% | -7.4% |
| 2006 | 1.5% | +4.6% |
| 2007 | 1.7% | +13.5% |
| 2008 | 1.7% | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 1.4% | -18.5% |
| 2010 | 1.2% | -10.4% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | -12.8% |
| 2012 | 1.0% | -4.3% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | -6.3% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | -14.0% |
| 2016 | 0.9% | +4.8% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | +6.0% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | +15.4% |
| 2019 | 1.8% | +75.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 14.8% | 14.0% | 15.5% | 2 |
| 1910s | 15.0% | 5.0% | 21.3% | 10 |
| 1920s | 6.9% | 3.9% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 1930s | 8.4% | 5.6% | 10.9% | 10 |
| 1940s | 7.0% | 4.1% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 1950s | 9.4% | 4.9% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.9% | 6.0% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 8.6% | 6.5% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.2% | 7.6% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.7% | 1.4% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.8% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More economy & growth data for Bulgaria
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.48 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.58 Percent per annum (2029)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) -1.44 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.093 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 1,891 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), annual -1.44 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 0.1066 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 2,167 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 14.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.6331 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Bulgaria?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Bulgaria was 1.8% in 2019, according to Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 21.3% in 1916.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2015.
- How does Bulgaria rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Bulgaria ranks 53rd out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 112 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).