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

Cuba (ranked #65 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than El Salvador (#104) on the ATLAS Index. Cuba fields 76,000 active troops vs 42,000 for El Salvador, backed by 39,000 reserves and 1,146,500 paramilitary. El Salvador's $0.4B defense budget is 3.3:1 that of Cuba ($0.1B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Cuba CubaWorld #65 24.1
ATLAS Index / 100

Cuba leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of El Salvador El SalvadorWorld #104 14.2
  • 56.976K active troops Manpower10 % 31.042K active troops
  • 40.8113 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 0.00 battle tanks
  • 25.533 warships Naval power20 % 22.329 warships
  • 13.00 combat aircraft Air power25 % 17.06 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 10.9$129M budget Defense budget15 % 14.7$424M budget
Cuba 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
Cuba El Salvador Ratio
Defense budget $129M $424M 🇸🇻 3.3×
– share of GDP 2.9% 1.2% 🇨🇺 2.4×
Active personnel 76,000 42,000 🇨🇺 1.8×
Combat aircraft 0 6 🇸🇻
Warships 33 29 🇨🇺 1.1×
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 113 0 🇨🇺
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 39,000 9,900 🇨🇺 3.9×
Paramilitary forces 1,146,500 17,000 🇨🇺 67×
Military aircraft (all types) 20 53 🇸🇻 2.6×
– helicopters 13 25 🇸🇻 1.9×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $11 $67 🇸🇻 5.9×
Population 11M 6.3M 🇨🇺 1.7×
GDP $107B $35B 🇨🇺 3.0×
GDP per capita $9,777 $5,580 🇨🇺 1.8×
Land area 109,884 km² 20,721 km² 🇨🇺 5.3×
Coastline 3,735 km 307 km 🇨🇺 12×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇨🇺 CubaT-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×1,100
🇸🇻 El SalvadorA-37 Dragonfly ×6
Defense budget history
Military personnel history
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Cuba vsVenezuelaEcuadorArgentinaBoliviaPeru
El Salvador vsHondurasGuatemalaDominican RepublicUruguayNicaragua
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Cuba or El Salvador?
Cuba has approximately 76,000 active military personnel compared to El Salvador's 42,000, giving Cuba a 1.8:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Cuba or El Salvador?
El Salvador operates 6 combat aircraft compared to Cuba's 0. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Cuba or El Salvador?
Cuba has a larger navy with 33 vessels compared to El Salvador's 29 ships.
Which country spends more on defense, Cuba or El Salvador?
El Salvador has a larger defense budget at $424 million (3.3:1 more) compared to Cuba's $129 million annually.
Do Cuba and El Salvador have nuclear weapons?
Neither Cuba nor El Salvador currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Cuba and El Salvador compare?
Cuba operates 113 main battle tanks compared to El Salvador's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.