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

Ecuador (ranked #57 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than El Salvador (#115) on the ARMS Index. Ecuador fields 42,000 active troops vs 42,000 for El Salvador, backed by 118,000 reserves and 500 paramilitary. Ecuador's $2.7B defense budget is 6.5:1 that of El Salvador ($0.4B).

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Ecuador EcuadorWorld #57 35.5
ARMS Index / 100

Ecuador leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of El Salvador El SalvadorWorld #115 17.4
  • 65.842K active troops Manpower15 % 56.442K active troops
  • 43.054 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 0.00 battle tanks
  • 34.746 warships Naval power20 % 17.129 warships
  • 38.317 combat aircraft Air power25 % 24.96 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 41.4$2.7B budget Defense budget10 % 27.0$424M budget
Ecuador 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
Ecuador El Salvador Ratio
Defense budget $2.7B $424M 🇪🇨 6.5×
– share of GDP 2.2% 1.2% 🇪🇨 1.8×
Active personnel 42,000 42,000 —
Combat aircraft 17 6 🇪🇨 2.8×
Warships 46 29 🇪🇨 1.6×
– submarines 2 0 🇪🇨
Main battle tanks 54 0 🇪🇨
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 118,000 9,900 🇪🇨 12×
Paramilitary forces 500 17,000 🇸🇻 34×
Military aircraft (all types) 105 53 🇪🇨 2.0×
– helicopters 46 25 🇪🇨 1.8×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $151 $67 🇪🇨 2.3×
Population 18.1M 6.3M 🇪🇨 2.9×
GDP $125B $35B 🇪🇨 3.5×
GDP per capita $6,875 $5,580 🇪🇨 1.2×
Land area 256,369 km² 20,721 km² 🇪🇨 12×
Coastline 2,237 km 307 km 🇪🇨 7.3×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇪🇨 EcuadorEMB-314 Super Tucano ×17AMX-13 ×108Type 209-class ×2
🇸🇻 El SalvadorA-37 Dragonfly ×6
Defense budget history Ecuador ×1.2 · El Salvador ×1.2 since 2020
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Ecuador or El Salvador?
El Salvador has approximately 42,000 active military personnel compared to Ecuador's 42,000.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Ecuador or El Salvador?
Ecuador operates 17 combat aircraft compared to El Salvador's 6. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Ecuador or El Salvador?
Ecuador has a larger navy with 46 vessels compared to El Salvador's 29 ships. Ecuador operates 2 submarines while El Salvador has 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Ecuador or El Salvador?
Ecuador has a larger defense budget at $2.7 billion (6.5:1 more) compared to El Salvador's $424 million annually.
Do Ecuador and El Salvador have nuclear weapons?
Neither Ecuador nor El Salvador currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Ecuador and El Salvador compare?
Ecuador operates 54 main battle tanks compared to El Salvador's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.