Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Bulgaria nears NATO standard for 2% of GDP spent for defense

Photo: BGNES

Bulgaria has planned to use 1.61 per cent of its gross domestic product for defense. That's 927 million USD for 2019. The rise is 0.3 percent compared to 2014, when Sofia spent 638 million USD or 1.31 percent of GDP. In NATO the US spends the largest share of GDP for defense - over 3.42%. Luxembourg is last with 0.55 per cent, as it has the highest GDP per capita in the EU - 66.000 euros. Montenegro allocates a little more money than Bulgaria as a percentage of its GDP - 1.65 per cent. Defense spending has risen steadily over the past 5 years. More and more countries are close to reaching the target of 2% of GDP for defense, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Ivelin Mihaylov

Bulgaria’s Anti-Corruption Commission probes 'Velichie' party in major property fraud case

Bulgaria’s Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating a large-scale property fraud and money laundering scheme connected to the 'Historical Park', which is associated with Ivelin Mihaylov, the leader of the Velichie party. Those arrested include the..

published on 11/26/25 2:30 PM
Boyko Borissov

Borissov cites EU defence adjustment to claim a 2026 deficit of 2.7%

The ruling party and the opposition argued about the procedure for the Budget Committee meeting before the final vote on the 2006 budget .  Assen Vassilev, chairman of the We Continue the Change party, attempted to block the committee’s extraordinary..

published on 11/26/25 2:15 PM

Agriculture and forestry workers protest for higher salaries

Employees in the agriculture and forestry sector staged a protest in front of the Parliament, demanding higher salaries for workers in departments that are secondary budget administrators. The protest was organized by the National Federation of..

published on 11/26/25 12:34 PM