El Salvador
Armed forces personnel in El Salvador
Armed forces personnel in El Salvador: 41,700 people in 1985 and 42,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates.
- Latest, 2020
- 42,000 people
- Since 1985
- +300 people
- World, 2020
- 27.4 million people
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- The highest was 60,000 people in 1991, the lowest 15,000 people in 2004.
- Older estimates from Correlates of War reach back to 1875: 1,000 people.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | El Salvador | World |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 42,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 42,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 41,500 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 42,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 41,500 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 41,500 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 41,500 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 32,300 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 32,300 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 32,300 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 32,500 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 32,500 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 33,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 33,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 28,000 | 27 million |
| 2005 | 16,000 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 15,000 | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 27,500 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 28,800 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 28,800 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 28,800 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 36,600 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 36,600 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 40,400 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 40,400 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 38,500 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 30,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 49,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 49,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 60,000 | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 55,000 | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 45,000 | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 41,700 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 45,000 | – |
| 1983 | 32,000 | – |
| 1982 | 28,000 | – |
| 1981 | 23,000 | – |
| 1980 | 16,000 | – |
| 1979 | 14,000 | – |
| 1978 | 11,000 | – |
| 1977 | 8,000 | – |
| 1976 | 8,000 | – |
| 1975 | 8,000 | – |
| 1974 | 8,000 | – |
| 1973 | 8,000 | – |
| 1972 | 8,000 | – |
| 1971 | 6,000 | – |
| 1970 | 4,000 | – |
| 1969 | 4,000 | – |
| 1968 | 4,000 | – |
| 1967 | 4,000 | – |
| 1966 | 4,000 | – |
| 1965 | 4,000 | – |
| 1964 | 4,000 | – |
| 1963 | 3,000 | – |
| 1962 | 6,000 | – |
| 1961 | 6,000 | – |
| 1960 | 7,000 | – |
| 1959 | 7,000 | – |
| 1958 | 7,000 | – |
| 1957 | 7,000 | – |
| 1956 | 7,000 | – |
| 1955 | 7,000 | – |
| 1954 | 3,000 | – |
| 1953 | 3,000 | – |
| 1952 | 3,000 | – |
| 1951 | 3,000 | – |
| 1950 | 3,000 | – |
| 1949 | 3,000 | – |
| 1948 | 3,000 | – |
| 1947 | 3,000 | – |
| 1946 | 3,000 | – |
| 1939 | 3,000 | – |
| 1938 | 3,000 | – |
| 1937 | 2,000 | – |
| 1936 | 2,000 | – |
| 1935 | 3,000 | – |
| 1934 | 3,000 | – |
| 1933 | 3,000 | – |
| 1932 | 3,000 | – |
| 1931 | 3,000 | – |
| 1930 | 3,000 | – |
| 1929 | 3,000 | – |
| 1928 | 3,000 | – |
| 1927 | 3,000 | – |
| 1926 | 3,000 | – |
| 1925 | 3,000 | – |
| 1924 | 4,000 | – |
| 1923 | 4,000 | – |
| 1922 | 4,000 | – |
| 1921 | 4,000 | – |
| 1920 | 3,000 | – |
| 1919 | 3,000 | – |
| 1918 | 3,000 | – |
| 1917 | 3,000 | – |
| 1916 | 3,000 | – |
| 1915 | 3,000 | – |
| 1914 | 3,000 | – |
| 1913 | 3,000 | – |
| 1912 | 3,000 | – |
| 1911 | 3,000 | – |
| 1910 | 3,000 | – |
| 1909 | 3,000 | – |
| 1908 | 3,000 | – |
| 1907 | 3,000 | – |
| 1906 | 3,000 | – |
| 1905 | 3,000 | – |
| 1904 | 3,000 | – |
| 1903 | 4,000 | – |
| 1902 | 3,000 | – |
| 1901 | 3,000 | – |
| 1900 | 4,000 | – |
| 1899 | 3,000 | – |
| 1898 | 3,000 | – |
| 1897 | 3,000 | – |
| 1896 | 4,000 | – |
| 1895 | 4,000 | – |
| 1894 | 4,000 | – |
| 1893 | 4,000 | – |
| 1892 | 4,000 | – |
| 1891 | 4,000 | – |
| 1890 | 2,000 | – |
| 1889 | 2,000 | – |
| 1888 | 2,000 | – |
| 1887 | 2,000 | – |
| 1886 | 2,000 | – |
| 1885 | 1,000 | – |
| 1884 | 1,000 | – |
| 1883 | 1,000 | – |
| 1882 | 1,000 | – |
| 1881 | 1,000 | – |
| 1880 | 1,000 | – |
| 1879 | 1,000 | – |
| 1878 | 1,000 | – |
| 1877 | 1,000 | – |
| 1876 | 1,000 | – |
| 1875 | 1,000 | – |
- 12.3Estimates, Correlates of War
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 in numbers
Every measure for El Salvador on one page
Health
People
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending1.34% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollars$489M in 2025
- Military spending per person$77 in 2025
- Military share of state spending4.4% of government spending in 2025
- National power0.05% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workers1.62% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms imports3 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exports1 million TIV in 1991