Bulgaria vs Estonia: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population

Bulgaria
0.5%
in 2020
Estonia
0.5%
in 2020
Bulgaria rank
55th
Estonia rank
57th

Armed forces personnel as a share of total population over time

  • Bulgaria
  • Estonia
00.511.5198520022020

How they compare

Bulgaria currently reports 0.5% against 0.5% in Estonia, a difference of 0.0%.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 29 shared years of data; in 1992 it was Bulgaria ahead.

Bulgaria ranks 55th and Estonia ranks 57th of 173 countries.

Bulgaria has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Bulgaria Estonia Difference Ahead
1990s 1.3% 0.4% 1.0% Bulgaria
2000s 1.1% 0.5% 0.6% Bulgaria
2010s 0.6% 0.5% 0.1% Bulgaria
2020s 0.5% 0.5% 0.0% Bulgaria

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher armed forces personnel as a share of total population, Bulgaria or Estonia?
Bulgaria, at 0.5% against 0.5% in Estonia as of 2020.
What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of total population between Bulgaria and Estonia?
0.0%, with Bulgaria ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Bulgaria and Estonia?
29 years are reported by both, from 1992 to 2020.
How do Bulgaria and Estonia rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
Bulgaria ranks 55th and Estonia ranks 57th of 173 countries.
Where does this data come from?
The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Armed forces personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Unit
%
Source
The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
173 places, 5,352 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.