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

Armed forces personnel in El SalvadorArmed forces personnel in El Salvador: 41,700 people in 1985 and 42,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates. The highest was 60,000 people in 1991, the lowest 15,000 people in 2004.
Estimates, IISSEstimates, Correlates of WarWorld

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

YearEl SalvadorWorld
202042,00027.4 million
201942,00027.7 million
201841,50027.7 million
201742,00027.4 million
201641,50027.5 million
201541,50027.4 million
201441,50027.3 million
201332,30027.2 million
201232,30028.2 million
201132,30028 million
201032,50028.1 million
200932,50027.9 million
200833,00027.5 million
200733,00027.3 million
200628,00027 million
200516,00028.5 million
200415,00027.1 million
200327,50028.2 million
200228,80028.3 million
200128,80028.2 million
200028,80029.4 million
199936,60029.6 million
199836,60029.9 million
199740,40029.9 million
199640,40030.2 million
199538,50030.2 million
199430,00023.2 million
199349,00023.7 million
199249,00024.5 million
199160,00022.7 million
199055,00023.9 million
198945,00024.3 million
198541,70022.2 million
198445,000–
198332,000–
198228,000–
198123,000–
198016,000–
197914,000–
197811,000–
19778,000–
19768,000–
19758,000–
19748,000–
19738,000–
19728,000–
19716,000–
19704,000–
19694,000–
19684,000–
19674,000–
19664,000–
19654,000–
19644,000–
19633,000–
19626,000–
19616,000–
19607,000–
19597,000–
19587,000–
19577,000–
19567,000–
19557,000–
19543,000–
19533,000–
19523,000–
19513,000–
19503,000–
19493,000–
19483,000–
19473,000–
19463,000–
19393,000–
19383,000–
19372,000–
19362,000–
19353,000–
19343,000–
19333,000–
19323,000–
19313,000–
19303,000–
19293,000–
19283,000–
19273,000–
19263,000–
19253,000–
19244,000–
19234,000–
19224,000–
19214,000–
19203,000–
19193,000–
19183,000–
19173,000–
19163,000–
19153,000–
19143,000–
19133,000–
19123,000–
19113,000–
19103,000–
19093,000–
19083,000–
19073,000–
19063,000–
19053,000–
19043,000–
19034,000–
19023,000–
19013,000–
19004,000–
18993,000–
18983,000–
18973,000–
18964,000–
18954,000–
18944,000–
18934,000–
18924,000–
18914,000–
18902,000–
18892,000–
18882,000–
18872,000–
18862,000–
18851,000–
18841,000–
18831,000–
18821,000–
18811,000–
18801,000–
18791,000–
18781,000–
18771,000–
18761,000–
18751,000–
  • 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

Climate

Technology and environment

Other places nearby