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Military Strength: Flag of Austria Austria vs Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria

Bulgaria (ranked #62 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Austria (#70) on the ARMS Index. Austria fields 23,000 active troops vs 37,000 for Bulgaria, backed by 3,000 reserves. Austria's $5.3B defense budget is 2.2:1 that of Bulgaria ($2.4B).

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Austria AustriaWorld #70 30.9
ARMS Index / 100

Bulgaria leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Bulgaria BulgariaWorld #62 34.3
  • 64.423K active troops Manpower15 % 57.437K active troops
  • 42.956 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 49.990 battle tanks
  • 0.00 warships Naval power20 % 31.320 warships
  • 35.415 combat aircraft Air power25 % 36.027 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 47.2$5.3B budget Defense budget10 % 40.3$2.4B budget
Austria Bulgaria Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.13 vs ×1.04 · Methodology
Key figures
Austria Bulgaria Ratio
Defense budget $5.3B $2.4B 🇦🇹 2.2×
– share of GDP 1.0% 2.1% 🇧🇬 2.1×
Active personnel 23,000 37,000 🇧🇬 1.6×
Combat aircraft 15 27 🇧🇬 1.8×
Warships 0 20 🇧🇬
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 56 90 🇧🇬 1.6×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 125,600 3,000 🇦🇹 42×
Paramilitary forces 0 0 —
Military aircraft (all types) 89 79 🇦🇹 1.1×
– helicopters 41 29 🇦🇹 1.4×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $583 $370 🇦🇹 1.6×
Population 9.2M 6.4M 🇦🇹 1.4×
GDP $535B $113B 🇦🇹 4.7×
GDP per capita $58,269 $17,596 🇦🇹 3.3×
Land area 82,445 km² 108,612 km² 🇧🇬 1.3×
Coastline 0 km 354 km 🇧🇬
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇦🇹 AustriaTyphoon ×15Leopard 2 ×56
🇧🇬 BulgariaMiG-29 Fulcrum ×12T-72 ×44Wielingen-class ×3
Defense budget history Austria ×1.4 · Bulgaria ×1.7 since 2021
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Austria or Bulgaria?
Bulgaria has approximately 37,000 active military personnel compared to Austria's 23,000, giving Bulgaria a 1.6:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Austria or Bulgaria?
Bulgaria operates 27 combat aircraft compared to Austria's 15. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Austria or Bulgaria?
Bulgaria has a larger navy with 20 vessels compared to Austria's 0 ships.
Which country spends more on defense, Austria or Bulgaria?
Austria has a larger defense budget at $5.3 billion (2.2:1 more) compared to Bulgaria's $2.4 billion annually.
Do Austria and Bulgaria have nuclear weapons?
Neither Austria nor Bulgaria currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Austria and Bulgaria compare?
Bulgaria operates 90 main battle tanks compared to Austria's 56. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.