Bulgaria vs Romania
Bulgaria vs Romania: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 2.01% of GDP in Bulgaria and 2.28% of GDP in Romania, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Romania, by 0.28 percentage points, or 1.14 times that in Bulgaria.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Romania has been higher since 2024, when it overtook Bulgaria.
- In 2025, Bulgaria ranked 62 and Romania ranked 45 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Bulgaria | Romania |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.01 | 2.28 |
| 2024 | 1.94 | 2.17 |
| 2023 | 1.95 | 1.62 |
| 2022 | 1.59 | 1.76 |
| 2021 | 1.51 | 1.86 |
| 2020 | 1.59 | 2.02 |
| 2019 | 3.15 | 1.84 |
| 2018 | 1.45 | 1.8 |
| 2017 | 1.22 | 1.73 |
| 2016 | 1.24 | 1.43 |
| 2015 | 1.25 | 1.45 |
| 2014 | 1.31 | 1.35 |
| 2013 | 1.45 | 1.29 |
| 2012 | 1.33 | 1.17 |
| 2011 | 1.31 | 1.24 |
| 2010 | 1.64 | 1.23 |
| 2009 | 1.74 | 1.28 |
| 2008 | 2.13 | 1.4 |
| 2007 | 2.23 | 1.49 |
| 2006 | 2.08 | 1.85 |
| 2005 | 2.24 | 2.01 |
| 2004 | 2.37 | 2.01 |
| 2003 | 2.69 | 2.09 |
| 2002 | 2.78 | 2.29 |
| 2001 | 2.86 | 2.42 |
| 2000 | 2.65 | 2.5 |
| 1999 | 2.62 | 2.64 |
| 1998 | 2.13 | 3 |
| 1997 | 2.16 | 3.02 |
| 1996 | 1.74 | 2.37 |
| 1995 | 1.64 | 2.61 |
| 1994 | 2.49 | 3.12 |
| 1993 | 2.61 | 2.74 |
| 1992 | 2.97 | 4.25 |
| 1991 | 3.04 | 4.77 |
| 1990 | 3.83 | 4.55 |
| 1989 | 4.4 | 4.8 |
| 1988 | – | 4.21 |
| 1987 | – | 3.91 |
| 1986 | – | 4.45 |
| 1985 | – | 4.3 |
| 1984 | – | 1.91 |
| 1983 | – | 1.99 |
| 1982 | – | 2.04 |
| 1981 | – | 2.2 |
| 1980 | – | 2.21 |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the country spends on its armed forces and defence, as a share of its economy, by SIPRI’s count.
- Source: Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Military Expenditure Database, https://doi.org/10.55163/CQGC9685.
- Marked points are SIPRI’s own: a dot where it gives the figure as its estimate, a ring where it calls the figure highly uncertain.
- Ranks count the 151 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Bulgaria vs Romania
Health
- Life expectancyBulgaria: 75.6 years in 2023Romania: 75.9 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBulgaria: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024Romania: 0.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBulgaria: 4.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023Romania: 4.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterBulgaria: 95.7% in 2022Romania: 82.1% in 2022
- DepressionBulgaria: 2.54% in 2017Romania: 2.36% in 2017
- Suicide rateBulgaria: 9.5 per 100,000 people in 2017Romania: 9.2 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBulgaria: 6.8 million people in 2023Romania: 19.1 million people in 2023
- Population growthBulgaria: -0.52% a year in 2023Romania: -0.53% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBulgaria: 1.75 births per woman in 2023Romania: 1.71 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationBulgaria: 74.2% in 2025Romania: 52.2% in 2025
- Median ageBulgaria: 44.3 years in 2023Romania: 42.6 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBulgaria: 21.8% in 2023Romania: 19.8% in 2023
- Net migration rateBulgaria: 0.8 per 1,000 people in 2023Romania: -1.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsBulgaria: $2.4B in 2025Romania: $8.81B in 2025
- Military spending per personBulgaria: $384 in 2025Romania: $513 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingBulgaria: 5.2% of government spending in 2025Romania: 5.6% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelBulgaria: 37,000 people in 2020Romania: 128,000 people in 2020
- National powerBulgaria: 0.09% of world capability in 2022Romania: 0.23% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersBulgaria: 1.18% of the labour force in 2020Romania: 1.52% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsBulgaria: 540 million TIV in 2025Romania: 421 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsBulgaria: 33 million TIV in 2024Romania: 132 million TIV in 2025