El Salvador vs Guatemala
El Salvador vs Guatemala: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 42,000 people in El Salvador and 43,000 people in Guatemala, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Guatemala, by 1,000 people, or 1.02 times that in El Salvador.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- Guatemala has been higher since 1994, when it overtook El Salvador.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | El Salvador | Guatemala | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 42,000 | 43,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 42,000 | 43,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 41,500 | 43,050 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 42,000 | 43,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 41,500 | 43,050 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 41,500 | 43,050 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 41,500 | 43,050 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 32,300 | 42,300 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 32,300 | 42,300 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 32,300 | 42,300 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 32,500 | 34,210 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 32,500 | 34,210 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 33,000 | 35,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 33,000 | 35,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 28,000 | 35,000 | 27 million |
| 2005 | 16,000 | 48,000 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 15,000 | 48,000 | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 27,500 | 50,400 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 28,800 | 50,400 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 28,800 | 50,400 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 28,800 | 52,900 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 36,600 | 40,900 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 36,600 | 41,200 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 40,400 | 50,500 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 40,400 | 56,500 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 38,500 | 56,500 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 30,000 | 34,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 49,000 | 44,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 49,000 | 44,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 60,000 | 43,000 | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 55,000 | 43,000 | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 45,000 | 43,000 | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 41,700 | 31,700 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 45,000 | 40,000 | – |
| 1983 | 32,000 | 40,000 | – |
| 1982 | 28,000 | 30,000 | – |
| 1981 | 23,000 | 27,000 | – |
| 1980 | 16,000 | 21,000 | – |
| 1979 | 14,000 | 21,000 | – |
| 1978 | 11,000 | 14,000 | – |
| 1977 | 8,000 | 14,000 | – |
| 1976 | 8,000 | 14,000 | – |
| 1975 | 8,000 | 13,000 | – |
| 1974 | 8,000 | 13,000 | – |
| 1973 | 8,000 | 13,000 | – |
| 1972 | 8,000 | 14,000 | – |
| 1971 | 6,000 | 13,000 | – |
| 1970 | 4,000 | 13,000 | – |
| 1969 | 4,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1968 | 4,000 | 11,000 | – |
| 1967 | 4,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1966 | 4,000 | 9,000 | – |
| 1965 | 4,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1964 | 4,000 | 9,000 | – |
| 1963 | 3,000 | 9,000 | – |
| 1962 | 6,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1961 | 6,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1960 | 7,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1959 | 7,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1958 | 7,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1957 | 7,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1956 | 7,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1955 | 7,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1954 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1953 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1952 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1951 | 3,000 | 22,000 | – |
| 1950 | 3,000 | 22,000 | – |
| 1949 | 3,000 | 22,000 | – |
| 1948 | 3,000 | 22,000 | – |
| 1947 | 3,000 | 22,000 | – |
| 1946 | 3,000 | 20,000 | – |
| 1944 | – | 21,000 | – |
| 1939 | 3,000 | 6,000 | – |
| 1938 | 3,000 | 6,000 | – |
| 1937 | 2,000 | 6,000 | – |
| 1936 | 2,000 | 6,000 | – |
| 1935 | 3,000 | 6,000 | – |
| 1934 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1933 | 3,000 | 6,000 | – |
| 1932 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1931 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1930 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1929 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1928 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1927 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1926 | 3,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1925 | 3,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1924 | 4,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1923 | 4,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1922 | 4,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1921 | 4,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1920 | 3,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1919 | 3,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1918 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1917 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1916 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1915 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1914 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1913 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1912 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1911 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1910 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1909 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1908 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1907 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1906 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1905 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1904 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1903 | 4,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1902 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1901 | 3,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1900 | 4,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1899 | 3,000 | 6,000 | – |
| 1898 | 3,000 | 5,000 | – |
| 1897 | 3,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1896 | 4,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1895 | 4,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1894 | 4,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1893 | 4,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1892 | 4,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1891 | 4,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1890 | 2,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1889 | 2,000 | 13,000 | – |
| 1888 | 2,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1887 | 2,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1886 | 2,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1885 | 1,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1884 | 1,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1883 | 1,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1882 | 1,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1881 | 1,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1880 | 1,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1879 | 1,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1878 | 1,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1877 | 1,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1876 | 1,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1875 | 1,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1874 | – | 3,000 | – |
| 1873 | – | 3,000 | – |
| 1872 | – | 3,000 | – |
| 1871 | – | 3,000 | – |
| 1870 | – | 3,000 | – |
| 1869 | – | 3,000 | – |
| 1868 | – | 3,000 | – |
- 12.3Estimates, Correlates of War
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Active-duty military personnel, with paramilitary forces where they are trained and equipped like soldiers, by the IISS Military Balance.
- Source: IISS, The Military Balance, via the World Bank.
- Before 1985: Correlates of War Project, National Material Capabilities v7.0; Singer, Bremer and Stuckey (1972), “Capability Distribution, Uncertainty, and Major Power War, 1820–1965”, in Bruce Russett (ed.), Peace, War, and Numbers, Sage, 19–48.
- Ranks count the 170 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
El Salvador vs Guatemala
Health
- Life expectancyEl Salvador: 72.1 years in 2023Guatemala: 72.6 years in 2023
- Child mortalityEl Salvador: 1 per 100 live births in 2024Guatemala: 2.1 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityEl Salvador: 9.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023Guatemala: 17.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionEl Salvador: 3.03% in 2017Guatemala: 3.22% in 2017
- Suicide rateEl Salvador: 9.8 per 100,000 people in 2017Guatemala: 5.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationEl Salvador: 6.31 million people in 2023Guatemala: 18.1 million people in 2023
- Population growthEl Salvador: 0.46% a year in 2023Guatemala: 1.55% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateEl Salvador: 1.78 births per woman in 2023Guatemala: 2.31 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationEl Salvador: 75.5% in 2025Guatemala: 56.3% in 2025
- Median ageEl Salvador: 27 years in 2023Guatemala: 22.6 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overEl Salvador: 8% in 2023Guatemala: 4.7% in 2023
- Net migration rateEl Salvador: -3.7 per 1,000 people in 2023Guatemala: -0.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingEl Salvador: 1.34% of GDP in 2025Guatemala: 0.52% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsEl Salvador: $489M in 2025Guatemala: $617M in 2025
- Military spending per personEl Salvador: $77 in 2025Guatemala: $34 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingEl Salvador: 4.4% of government spending in 2025Guatemala: 3.5% of government spending in 2025
- National powerEl Salvador: 0.05% of world capability in 2022Guatemala: 0.09% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersEl Salvador: 1.62% of the labour force in 2020Guatemala: 0.64% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsEl Salvador: 3 million TIV in 2025Guatemala: 6 million TIV in 2023