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Military Strength: Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria vs Flag of Sweden Sweden

Sweden (ranked #44 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Bulgaria (#59) on the ATLAS Index. Bulgaria fields 37,000 active troops — 2.5:1 Sweden's 15,000, backed by 3,000 reserves. Sweden's $15B defense budget is 6.3:1 that of Bulgaria ($2.4B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Bulgaria BulgariaWorld #59 26.0
ATLAS Index / 100

Sweden leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Sweden SwedenWorld #44 31.9
  • 33.737K active troops Manpower10 % 37.415K active troops
  • 30.090 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 32.3110 battle tanks
  • 29.636 warships Naval power20 % 35.4232 warships
  • 25.327 combat aircraft Air power25 % 35.496 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 27.5$2.4B budget Defense budget15 % 36.0$15B budget
Bulgaria Sweden Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · each conventional pillar read after its branch's availability proxy · Methodology
Key figures
Bulgaria Sweden Ratio
Defense budget $2.4B $15B 🇸🇪 6.3×
– share of GDP 2.1% 2.5% 🇸🇪 1.2×
Active personnel 37,000 15,000 🇧🇬 2.5×
Combat aircraft 27 96 🇸🇪 3.6×
Warships 36 232 🇸🇪 6.4×
– submarines 0 4 🇸🇪
Main battle tanks 90 110 🇸🇪 1.2×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 3,000 32,900 🇸🇪 11×
Paramilitary forces 0 21,200 🇸🇪
Military aircraft (all types) 79 178 🇸🇪 2.3×
– helicopters 29 53 🇸🇪 1.8×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $370 $1,428 🇸🇪 3.9×
Population 6.4M 10.6M 🇸🇪 1.6×
GDP $113B $604B 🇸🇪 5.3×
GDP per capita $17,596 $57,117 🇸🇪 3.2×
Land area 108,612 km² 407,284 km² 🇸🇪 3.7×
Coastline 354 km 3,218 km 🇸🇪 9.1×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇧🇬 BulgariaMiG-29 Fulcrum ×12T-72 ×44Wielingen-class ×3
🇸🇪 SwedenJAS 39 Gripen ×96Leopard 2 ×110Götland-class ×3
Defense budget history Bulgaria ×1.8 · Sweden ×1.7 since 2021
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Bulgaria or Sweden?
Bulgaria has approximately 37,000 active military personnel compared to Sweden's 15,000, giving Bulgaria a 2.5:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Bulgaria or Sweden?
Sweden operates 96 combat aircraft compared to Bulgaria's 27. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Bulgaria or Sweden?
Sweden has a larger navy with 232 vessels compared to Bulgaria's 36 ships. Bulgaria operates 0 submarines while Sweden has 4.
Which country spends more on defense, Bulgaria or Sweden?
Sweden has a larger defense budget at $15.1 billion (6.3:1 more) compared to Bulgaria's $2.4 billion annually.
Do Bulgaria and Sweden have nuclear weapons?
Neither Bulgaria nor Sweden currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Bulgaria and Sweden compare?
Sweden operates 110 main battle tanks compared to Bulgaria's 90. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.