El Salvador vs Guatemala
El Salvador vs Guatemala: Armed forces, share of workers
Armed forces, share of workers in 2020: 1.62% of the labour force in El Salvador and 0.64% of the labour force in Guatemala, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in El Salvador, by 0.98 percentage points, or 2.54 times that in Guatemala.
% of the labour force · IISS
What the numbers say
- El Salvador has been higher since 2006, when it overtook Guatemala.
- In 2020, El Salvador ranked 37 and Guatemala ranked 100 of 168 countries, counting from the highest.
- The world as a whole: 0.79% of the labour force in 2020.
Every year
% of the labour force · IISS
| Year | El Salvador | Guatemala | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1.62 | 0.64 | 0.79 |
| 2019 | 1.54 | 0.65 | 0.79 |
| 2018 | 1.56 | 0.65 | 0.8 |
| 2017 | 1.58 | 0.66 | 0.8 |
| 2016 | 1.57 | 0.68 | 0.81 |
| 2015 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.82 |
| 2014 | 1.6 | 0.72 | 0.82 |
| 2013 | 1.24 | 0.73 | 0.83 |
| 2012 | 1.26 | 0.7 | 0.87 |
| 2011 | 1.3 | 0.76 | 0.88 |
| 2010 | 1.32 | 0.64 | 0.89 |
| 2009 | 1.32 | 0.66 | 0.89 |
| 2008 | 1.35 | 0.69 | 0.89 |
| 2007 | 1.35 | 0.7 | 0.89 |
| 2006 | 1.17 | 0.72 | 0.95 |
| 2005 | 0.68 | 1.01 | 0.96 |
| 2004 | 0.64 | 1.03 | 0.94 |
| 2003 | 1.16 | 1.04 | 0.98 |
| 2002 | 1.25 | 1.09 | 1 |
| 2001 | 1.25 | 1.12 | 1.01 |
| 2000 | 1.25 | 1.2 | 1.07 |
| 1999 | 1.59 | 0.96 | 1.09 |
| 1998 | 1.6 | 0.99 | 1.13 |
| 1997 | 1.86 | 1.26 | 1.15 |
| 1996 | 1.88 | 1.45 | 1.18 |
| 1995 | 1.78 | 1.49 | 1.2 |
| 1994 | 1.39 | 0.92 | 0.94 |
| 1993 | 2.35 | 1.23 | 0.98 |
| 1992 | 2.43 | 1.27 | 1.03 |
| 1991 | 3.04 | 1.28 | 1.03 |
| 1990 | 2.84 | 1.32 | 1.11 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Active-duty military personnel as a share of everyone working or looking for work, by the IISS Military Balance.
- Source: IISS, The Military Balance, via the World Bank.
- Ranks count the 168 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
- Armed forces personnelEl Salvador: 42,000 people in 2020Guatemala: 43,000 people in 2020
- National powerEl Salvador: 0.05% of world capability in 2022Guatemala: 0.09% of world capability in 2022
- Arms importsEl Salvador: 3 million TIV in 2025Guatemala: 6 million TIV in 2023