Bulgaria
Armed forces, share of workers in Bulgaria
Armed forces, share of workers in Bulgaria: 3.7% of the labour force in 1990 and 1.18% of the labour force in 2020, by IISS estimates.
- Latest, 2020
- 1.18% of the labour force
- Since 1990
- −2.51 percentage points
- Rank, 2020
- 55 of 168
- counting from the highest
- World, 2020
- 0.79% of the labour force
% of the labour force · IISS
What the numbers say
- The highest was 4.03% of the labour force in 1996, the lowest 0.96% of the labour force in 2017.
Every year
% of the labour force · IISS
| Year | Bulgaria | World |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1.18 | 0.79 |
| 2019 | 1.15 | 0.79 |
| 2018 | 1.16 | 0.8 |
| 2017 | 0.96 | 0.8 |
| 2016 | 0.99 | 0.81 |
| 2015 | 1.45 | 0.82 |
| 2014 | 1.44 | 0.82 |
| 2013 | 1.42 | 0.83 |
| 2012 | 1.41 | 0.87 |
| 2011 | 1.42 | 0.88 |
| 2010 | 1.91 | 0.89 |
| 2009 | 1.87 | 0.89 |
| 2008 | 2.11 | 0.89 |
| 2007 | 2.14 | 0.89 |
| 2006 | 2.19 | 0.95 |
| 2005 | 2.56 | 0.96 |
| 2004 | 2.52 | 0.94 |
| 2003 | 2.55 | 0.98 |
| 2002 | 3.01 | 1 |
| 2001 | 3.19 | 1.01 |
| 2000 | 3.31 | 1.07 |
| 1999 | 3.32 | 1.09 |
| 1998 | 3.95 | 1.13 |
| 1997 | 3.93 | 1.15 |
| 1996 | 4.03 | 1.18 |
| 1995 | 3.97 | 1.2 |
| 1994 | 2.33 | 0.94 |
| 1993 | 1.52 | 0.98 |
| 1992 | 2.87 | 1.03 |
| 1991 | 3.08 | 1.03 |
| 1990 | 3.7 | 1.11 |
Good to know
- Active-duty military personnel as a share of everyone working or looking for work, by the IISS Military Balance.
- Source: IISS, The Military Balance, via the World Bank.
- Ranks count the 168 countries with a value in 2020, highest first.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Bulgaria in numbers
Every measure for Bulgaria on one page
Health
People
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending2.01% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollars$2.4B in 2025
- Military spending per person$384 in 2025
- Military share of state spending5.2% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnel37,000 people in 2020
- National power0.09% of world capability in 2022
- Arms imports540 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exports33 million TIV in 2024