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

Chile (ranked #44 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than El Salvador (#115) on the ARMS Index. Chile fields 114,000 active troops — 2.7:1 El Salvador's 42,000, backed by 40,000 reserves and 44,700 paramilitary. Chile's $5B defense budget is 12:1 that of El Salvador ($0.4B).

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Chile ChileWorld #44 42.3
ARMS Index / 100

Chile leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of El Salvador El SalvadorWorld #115 17.4
  • 66.8114K active troops Manpower15 % 56.442K active troops
  • 53.6386 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 0.00 battle tanks
  • 45.975 warships Naval power20 % 17.129 warships
  • 48.681 combat aircraft Air power25 % 24.96 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 46.5$5B budget Defense budget10 % 27.0$424M budget
Chile El Salvador Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.04 vs ×0.95 · Methodology
Key figures
Chile El Salvador Ratio
Defense budget $5B $424M 🇨🇱 12×
– share of GDP 1.5% 1.2% 🇨🇱 1.2×
Active personnel 114,000 42,000 🇨🇱 2.7×
Combat aircraft 81 6 🇨🇱 14×
Warships 75 29 🇨🇱 2.6×
– submarines 4 0 🇨🇱
Main battle tanks 386 0 🇨🇱
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 40,000 9,900 🇨🇱 4.0×
Paramilitary forces 44,700 17,000 🇨🇱 2.6×
Military aircraft (all types) 277 53 🇨🇱 5.2×
– helicopters 87 25 🇨🇱 3.5×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $251 $67 🇨🇱 3.7×
Population 19.8M 6.3M 🇨🇱 3.1×
GDP $330B $35B 🇨🇱 9.3×
GDP per capita $16,710 $5,580 🇨🇱 3.0×
Land area 743,812 km² 20,721 km² 🇨🇱 36×
Coastline 6,435 km 307 km 🇨🇱 21×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇨🇱 ChileF-16 Fighting Falcon ×46Leopard 2 ×186Scorpène-class ×2
🇸🇻 El SalvadorA-37 Dragonfly ×6
Defense budget history Chile ×1.0 · El Salvador ×1.2 since 2020
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Chile or El Salvador?
Chile has approximately 114,000 active military personnel compared to El Salvador's 42,000, giving Chile a 2.7:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Chile or El Salvador?
Chile operates 81 combat aircraft compared to El Salvador's 6. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Chile or El Salvador?
Chile has a larger navy with 75 vessels compared to El Salvador's 29 ships. Chile operates 4 submarines while El Salvador has 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Chile or El Salvador?
Chile has a larger defense budget at $5 billion (12:1 more) compared to El Salvador's $424 million annually.
Do Chile and El Salvador have nuclear weapons?
Neither Chile nor El Salvador currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Chile and El Salvador compare?
Chile operates 386 main battle tanks compared to El Salvador's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.