Armed forces personnel in El Salvador
El Salvador: Armed forces personnel was 1.6% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in El Salvador, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel in El Salvador stood at 1.6%.
The figure is up 5.3% on the previous year and up 23.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in El Salvador peaked at 3.0% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2004.
That places El Salvador 39th out of 171 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.8% | — |
| 1991 | 3.0% | +7.0% |
| 1992 | 2.4% | -20.0% |
| 1993 | 2.4% | -3.3% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | -40.8% |
| 1995 | 1.8% | +27.9% |
| 1996 | 1.9% | +5.7% |
| 1997 | 1.9% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 1.6% | -13.8% |
| 1999 | 1.6% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 1.3% | -21.5% |
| 2001 | 1.3% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.2% | -7.5% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | -44.5% |
| 2005 | 0.7% | +5.2% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | +72.9% |
| 2007 | 1.4% | +15.9% |
| 2008 | 1.3% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 1.3% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 1.3% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 1.3% | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 1.3% | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 1.2% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 1.6% | +29.2% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.6% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 1.6% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | +5.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.1% | 1.4% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 0.6% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More public sector data for El Salvador
- Arms imports 0 SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 0 SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 67.09 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0122 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate -6.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 425.20 million current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 241.31 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in El Salvador?
- Armed forces personnel in El Salvador was 1.6% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 3.0% in 1991.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2004.
- How does El Salvador rank for armed forces personnel?
- El Salvador ranks 39th out of 171 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies, published as part of Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces. Labor force comprises all people who meet the International Labour Organization's definition of the economically active population.