Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Military expenditure as a share of government spending was 5.2 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Bulgaria, 1998–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure as a share of government spending in Bulgaria stood at 5.2.
That represents a change of down 2.5% on the previous year and up 55.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure as a share of government spending in Bulgaria peaked at 8.74 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 3.34, in 2015.
That places Bulgaria 81st out of 162 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.
Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 6.96 | — |
| 1999 | 7.24 | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 7.14 | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 7.85 | +9.9% |
| 2002 | 7.93 | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 7.52 | -5.1% |
| 2004 | 6.86 | -8.9% |
| 2005 | 6.57 | -4.2% |
| 2006 | 6.41 | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 6.73 | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 6.37 | -5.3% |
| 2009 | 5.15 | -19.2% |
| 2010 | 4.75 | -7.7% |
| 2011 | 4.11 | -13.5% |
| 2012 | 4.09 | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 4.1 | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 3.53 | -13.8% |
| 2015 | 3.34 | -5.5% |
| 2016 | 3.8 | +13.9% |
| 2017 | 3.82 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 4.22 | +10.6% |
| 2019 | 8.74 | +106.9% |
| 2020 | 4.21 | -51.8% |
| 2021 | 3.93 | -6.7% |
| 2022 | 4.22 | +7.5% |
| 2023 | 5.19 | +22.9% |
| 2024 | 5.33 | +2.6% |
| 2025 | 5.2 | -2.5% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 5.2 is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.79, 1.1× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 5.2 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.84, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Bulgaria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +106.9% | 4.22 | 8.74 |
| 2020 | -51.8% | 8.74 | 4.21 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.1 | 6.96 | 7.24 | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.85 | 5.15 | 7.93 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.45 | 3.34 | 8.74 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.68 | 3.93 | 5.33 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
- 78 Libya 5.47 compare
- 79 United Kingdom 5.45 compare
- 80 Philippines 5.4 compare
- 82 Senegal 5.18 compare
- 83 Eswatini 5.17 compare
- 84 North Macedonia 5.13 compare
More reference data data for Bulgaria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3067 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2728 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2506 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.608 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.36 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure as a share of government spending in Bulgaria?
- Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Bulgaria was 5.2 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military expenditure as a share of government spending recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 8.74 in 2019.
- What is the lowest military expenditure as a share of government spending recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.34 in 2015.
- How does Bulgaria rank for military expenditure as a share of government spending?
- Bulgaria ranks 81st out of 162 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure as a share of government spending rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 55.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Military expenditure as a share of government spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).