Bulgaria vs Netherlands: Military personnel
Bulgaria
37,000 people
in 2022
Netherlands
34,000 people
in 2022
Bulgaria rank
71st
Netherlands rank
74th
Military personnel over time
- Bulgaria
- Netherlands
How they compare
Bulgaria currently reports 37,000 people against 34,000 people in Netherlands, a difference of 3,000 people.
That makes Bulgaria's figure about 1.1 times Netherlands's.
The two have swapped places 10 times across 111 shared years of data; in 1908 it was Bulgaria ahead.
Bulgaria ranks 71st and Netherlands ranks 74th of 194 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Bulgaria averaged higher in 10 and Netherlands in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Bulgaria | Netherlands | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 59,500 people | 27,000 people | 32,500 people | Bulgaria |
| 1910s | 258,800 people | 32,200 people | 226,600 people | Bulgaria |
| 1920s | 20,000 people | 14,700 people | 5,300 people | Bulgaria |
| 1930s | 22,800 people | 18,800 people | 4,000 people | Bulgaria |
| 1940s | 129,833 people | 158,333 people | 28,500 people | Netherlands |
| 1950s | 190,500 people | 192,000 people | 1,500 people | Netherlands |
| 1960s | 162,600 people | 129,300 people | 33,300 people | Bulgaria |
| 1970s | 181,600 people | 109,000 people | 72,600 people | Bulgaria |
| 1980s | 182,200 people | 105,600 people | 76,600 people | Bulgaria |
| 1990s | 86,200 people | 75,800 people | 10,400 people | Bulgaria |
| 2000s | 56,100 people | 50,400 people | 5,700 people | Bulgaria |
| 2010s | 31,400 people | 37,300 people | 5,900 people | Netherlands |
| 2020s | 37,000 people | 34,333 people | 2,667 people | Bulgaria |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military personnel, Bulgaria or Netherlands?
- Bulgaria, at 37,000 people against 34,000 people in Netherlands as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military personnel between Bulgaria and Netherlands?
- 3,000 people, with Bulgaria ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Bulgaria and Netherlands?
- 111 years are reported by both, from 1908 to 2022.
- How do Bulgaria and Netherlands rank globally for military personnel?
- Bulgaria ranks 71st and Netherlands ranks 74th of 194 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Military personnel. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Troops under the command of the national government, intended for use against foreign adversaries, and held ready for combat as of January 1 of the given year.