El Salvador vs Guatemala
El Salvador vs Guatemala: Military share of state spending
Military share of state spending in 2025: 4.4% of government spending in El Salvador and 3.5% of government spending in Guatemala, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in El Salvador, by 0.9 percentage points, or 1.26 times that in Guatemala.
% of government spending · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- El Salvador has been higher since 2004, when it overtook Guatemala.
- In 2025, El Salvador ranked 93 and Guatemala ranked 118 of 150 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of government spending · SIPRI
| Year | El Salvador | Guatemala |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.4 | 3.5 |
| 2024 | 4.4 | 3 |
| 2023 | 4.4 | 3.1 |
| 2022 | 5 | 3.2 |
| 2021 | 3.9 | 2.9 |
| 2020 | 4.2 | 2.8 |
| 2019 | 4.3 | 3.2 |
| 2018 | 4.2 | 2.8 |
| 2017 | 3.8 | 3 |
| 2016 | 3.7 | 3.5 |
| 2015 | 3.9 | 3.2 |
| 2014 | 3.8 | 3.1 |
| 2013 | 3.8 | 3.4 |
| 2012 | 3.8 | 3.2 |
| 2011 | 4.3 | 2.9 |
| 2010 | 4.3 | 2.8 |
| 2009 | 4.2 | 2.8 |
| 2008 | 3.9 | 3.1 |
| 2007 | 4.3 | 2.8 |
| 2006 | 3.8 | 2.9 |
| 2005 | 4 | 2.8 |
| 2004 | 4.3 | 3.6 |
| 2003 | 4.2 | 5.4 |
| 2002 | 5.7 | 5.5 |
| 2001 | 5.7 | 7.3 |
| 2000 | 4.5 | 6.4 |
| 1999 | 5.2 | 4.9 |
| 1998 | 5.3 | 5.8 |
| 1997 | 5.9 | 7 |
| 1996 | 5.5 | 9.5 |
| 1995 | 6.7 | 11.5 |
| 1994 | 7.5 | – |
| 1993 | 9.4 | – |
| 1992 | 11.1 | – |
| 1991 | 14.9 | – |
| 1990 | 21.4 | – |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The part of everything the government spends that goes on its armed forces and defence, by SIPRI’s count.
- Source: Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Military Expenditure Database, https://doi.org/10.55163/CQGC9685.
- Marked points are SIPRI’s own: a dot where it gives the figure as its estimate, a ring where it calls the figure highly uncertain.
- Ranks count the 150 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
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
- 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
- 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