Military expenditure (% of GDP) in El Salvador
El Salvador: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 1.3% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Military expenditure in El Salvador, 1965–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
El Salvador recorded 1.3% for military expenditure in 2025.
That represents a change of down 3.5% on the previous year and up 26.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in El Salvador peaked at 6.6% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1970.
El Salvador ranks 106th of 167 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 0.7% | — |
| 1966 | 0.7% | -4.0% |
| 1967 | 0.7% | -2.1% |
| 1968 | 0.7% | -5.6% |
| 1969 | 0.7% | +9.1% |
| 1970 | 0.6% | -12.0% |
| 1971 | 0.7% | +14.0% |
| 1972 | 0.9% | +22.8% |
| 1973 | 0.9% | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 0.8% | -7.3% |
| 1975 | 0.8% | +3.7% |
| 1976 | 0.9% | +6.2% |
| 1977 | 1.0% | +10.2% |
| 1978 | 1.1% | +15.1% |
| 1979 | 1.6% | +41.0% |
| 1980 | 1.7% | +10.1% |
| 1981 | 2.3% | +31.3% |
| 1982 | 2.8% | +21.8% |
| 1983 | 3.6% | +27.9% |
| 1984 | 6.4% | +81.4% |
| 1985 | 6.6% | +2.3% |
| 1986 | 4.3% | -34.3% |
| 1987 | 4.5% | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 4.3% | -4.4% |
| 1989 | 4.9% | +14.1% |
| 1990 | 3.4% | -29.9% |
| 1991 | 2.7% | -20.0% |
| 1992 | 2.3% | -17.5% |
| 1993 | 1.7% | -25.5% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | -19.4% |
| 1995 | 1.2% | -13.1% |
| 1996 | 1.1% | -8.6% |
| 1997 | 1.0% | -6.2% |
| 1998 | 0.9% | -8.4% |
| 1999 | 0.9% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | -8.7% |
| 2001 | 1.1% | +29.8% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 0.8% | -25.6% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | +11.6% |
| 2006 | 0.9% | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | +9.6% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 1.1% | +12.2% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 1.0% | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 1.1% | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 1.0% | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 1.1% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | +8.4% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | +16.9% |
| 2021 | 1.2% | -12.3% |
| 2022 | 1.4% | +18.8% |
| 2023 | 1.3% | -6.6% |
| 2024 | 1.4% | +3.3% |
| 2025 | 1.3% | -3.5% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 1.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.4%, 94% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 1.3% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.0%, 1.3× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of GDP) in El Salvador changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | +81.4% | 3.6% | 6.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 5 |
| 1970s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.1% | 1.7% | 6.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.7% | 0.9% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More public sector data for El Salvador
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 3.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in El Salvador?
- Military expenditure in El Salvador was 1.3% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 6.6% in 1985.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1970.
- How does El Salvador rank for military expenditure?
- El Salvador ranks 106th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Military expenditure (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Military expenditure by country as percentage of gross domestic product