Military spending as a share of GDP in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Military spending as a share of GDP was 2.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military spending as a share of GDP in Bulgaria, 1989–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military spending as a share of gdp in Bulgaria stood at 2.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.7% on the previous year and up 61.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Bulgaria peaked at 4.4% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2017.
Bulgaria ranks 75th of 166 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 spending as a share 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% |
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 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 (current US$), annual 15.8 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.2121 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 4,312 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 11.15 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 0.1882 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 3,825 current LCU per person (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Bulgaria?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Bulgaria was 2.0% in 2025, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – 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 4.4% in 1989.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2017.
- How does Bulgaria rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Bulgaria ranks 75th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp 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 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – 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 — 37 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total military expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.