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Military Strength: Flag of Argentina Argentina vs Flag of El Salvador El Salvador

Argentina (ranked #52 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than El Salvador (#104) on the ATLAS Index. Argentina fields 103,000 active troops — 2.5:1 El Salvador's 42,000, backed by 31,250 paramilitary. Argentina's $3.8B defense budget is 9.0:1 that of El Salvador ($0.4B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Argentina ArgentinaWorld #52 29.4
ATLAS Index / 100

Argentina leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of El Salvador El SalvadorWorld #104 14.2
  • 40.9103K active troops Manpower10 % 31.042K active troops
  • 34.3231 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 0.00 battle tanks
  • 32.842 warships Naval power20 % 22.329 warships
  • 26.432 combat aircraft Air power25 % 17.06 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 32.8$3.8B budget Defense budget15 % 14.7$424M budget
Argentina El Salvador Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · each conventional pillar read after its branch's availability proxy · Methodology
Key figures
Argentina El Salvador Ratio
Defense budget $3.8B $424M 🇦🇷 9.0×
– share of GDP 0.6% 1.2% 🇸🇻 2.0×
Active personnel 103,000 42,000 🇦🇷 2.5×
Combat aircraft 32 6 🇦🇷 5.3×
Warships 42 29 🇦🇷 1.4×
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 231 0 🇦🇷
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 0 9,900 🇸🇻
Paramilitary forces 31,250 17,000 🇦🇷 1.8×
Military aircraft (all types) 247 53 🇦🇷 4.7×
– helicopters 101 25 🇦🇷 4.0×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $84 $67 🇦🇷 1.3×
Population 45.7M 6.3M 🇦🇷 7.2×
GDP $638B $35B 🇦🇷 18×
GDP per capita $13,970 $5,580 🇦🇷 2.5×
Land area 2,736,690 km² 20,721 km² 🇦🇷 132×
Coastline 4,989 km 307 km 🇦🇷 16×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇦🇷 ArgentinaA-4 Skyhawk ×26TAM ×250Almirante Brown-class ×3
🇸🇻 El SalvadorA-37 Dragonfly ×6
Defense budget history Argentina ×1.2 · El Salvador ×1.2 since 2020
Military personnel history
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Argentina vsBrazilUnited KingdomChilePeruVenezuela
El Salvador vsHondurasGuatemalaDominican RepublicUruguayNicaragua
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Argentina or El Salvador?
Argentina has approximately 103,000 active military personnel compared to El Salvador's 42,000, giving Argentina a 2.5:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Argentina or El Salvador?
Argentina operates 32 combat aircraft compared to El Salvador's 6. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Argentina or El Salvador?
Argentina has a larger navy with 42 vessels compared to El Salvador's 29 ships.
Which country spends more on defense, Argentina or El Salvador?
Argentina has a larger defense budget at $3.8 billion (9.0:1 more) compared to El Salvador's $424 million annually.
Do Argentina and El Salvador have nuclear weapons?
Neither Argentina nor El Salvador currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Argentina and El Salvador compare?
Argentina operates 231 main battle tanks compared to El Salvador's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.