The widespread adoption of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars in concrete structural members underscores their efficacy as a non-corrosive alternative to steel reinforcement. This property substantially enhances structural durability and extends the lifespan of concrete structures. Nonetheless, their compressive performance under high strain rate loading remains underexplored. Understanding the dynamic compressive properties of GFRP bars is particularly important for structures subjected to impact, blast loads, and other high-rate loading scenarios, where the material response can significantly deviate from quasi-static behavior. This study presents experimental findings on the behavior of ribbed GFRP bars subjected to dynamic impact compressive loading. A series of dynamic tests were conducted on GFRP bars of 12 mm diameter using a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) apparatus. Different strain rates, in the range of 700 to 1900 s−1, were achieved through varying the impact pressure. A high-speed camera was also used to monitor the failure mode and provide a full-field visualization of deformations during impact. This study evaluates the stress-strain relationship, strain rate-time relationship, and failure modes of the tested GFRP bars under various loading rates. The experimental results revealed a reduction of approximately 35% in the compressive load-carrying capacity of the GFRP bars at strain rates approaching ∼ 1900 s−1 compared to their quasi-static strength. At lower strain rates (∼ 700 s−1), the compressive response of the GFRP bars was generally about 15% lower than their quasi-static counterparts. The findings indicate that slower loading rates allow GFRP bars to sustain higher stresses.