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Military spending as a share of government spending in Bulgaria

Bulgaria: Military spending as a share of government spending was 5.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
5.2%
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
81st
of 162 countries
All-time high
8.7%
in 2019
All-time low
3.3%
in 2015
Years of data
28
1998–2025

Military spending as a share of government spending in Bulgaria, 1998–2025

024681998201120251998: 7 % of government spending1999: 7.2 % of government spending2000: 7.1 % of government spending2001: 7.8 % of government spending2002: 7.9 % of government spending2003: 7.5 % of government spending2004: 6.9 % of government spending2005: 6.6 % of government spending2006: 6.4 % of government spending2007: 6.7 % of government spending2008: 6.4 % of government spending2009: 5.2 % of government spending2010: 4.8 % of government spending2011: 4.1 % of government spending2012: 4.1 % of government spending2013: 4.1 % of government spending2014: 3.5 % of government spending2015: 3.3 % of government spending2016: 3.8 % of government spending2017: 3.8 % of government spending2018: 4.2 % of government spending2019: 8.7 % of government spending2020: 4.2 % of government spending2021: 3.9 % of government spending2022: 4.2 % of government spending2023: 5.2 % of government spending2024: 5.3 % of government spending2025: 5.2 % of government spending

Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of government spending.

Analysis

In 2025, military spending 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 spending as a share of government spending in Bulgaria peaked at 8.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, 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 spending as a share of government spending in Bulgaria, year by year

Year % of government spending Change
1998 7.0% —
1999 7.2% +4.0%
2000 7.1% -1.4%
2001 7.8% +9.9%
2002 7.9% +1.0%
2003 7.5% -5.1%
2004 6.9% -8.9%
2005 6.6% -4.2%
2006 6.4% -2.5%
2007 6.7% +5.1%
2008 6.4% -5.3%
2009 5.2% -19.2%
2010 4.8% -7.7%
2011 4.1% -13.5%
2012 4.1% -0.6%
2013 4.1% +0.2%
2014 3.5% -13.8%
2015 3.3% -5.5%
2016 3.8% +13.9%
2017 3.8% +0.4%
2018 4.2% +10.6%
2019 8.7% +106.9%
2020 4.2% -51.8%
2021 3.9% -6.7%
2022 4.2% +7.5%
2023 5.2% +22.9%
2024 5.3% +2.6%
2025 5.2% -2.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 7.1% 7.0% 7.2% 2
2000s 6.9% 5.2% 7.9% 10
2010s 4.4% 3.3% 8.7% 10
2020s 4.7% 3.9% 5.3% 6

Countries ranked near Bulgaria

  1. 78 Libya 5.5% compare
  2. 79 United Kingdom 5.4% compare
  3. 80 Philippines 5.4% compare
  4. 82 Senegal 5.2% compare
  5. 83 Eswatini 5.2% compare
  6. 84 North Macedonia 5.1% compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More reference data data for Bulgaria

All data for Bulgaria →

Frequently asked questions

What is military spending as a share of government spending in Bulgaria?
Military spending as a share of government spending in Bulgaria was 5.2% 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 government spending recorded in Bulgaria?
The highest recorded value was 8.7% in 2019.
What is the lowest military spending as a share of government spending recorded in Bulgaria?
The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 2015.
How does Bulgaria rank for military spending as a share of government spending?
Bulgaria ranks 81st out of 162 countries with data for 2025.
Is military spending 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 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending as a share of government spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Military spending as a share of government spending in Bulgaria. Statizoid, drawing on Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-expenditure-as-a-share-of-government-spending/bulgaria/

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About this data

Indicator
Military spending as a share of government spending
Unit
% of government spending
Source
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
162 places, 4,946 data points, 1988–2025
Last refreshed

Total military expenditure divided by government spending.