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

Peru (ranked #50 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than El Salvador (#104) on the ATLAS Index. Peru fields 158,000 active troops — 3.8:1 El Salvador's 42,000, backed by 188,000 reserves and 77,000 paramilitary. Peru's $2.3B defense budget is 5.5:1 that of El Salvador ($0.4B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Peru PeruWorld #50 29.8
ATLAS Index / 100

Peru leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of El Salvador El SalvadorWorld #104 14.2
  • 51.0158K active troops Manpower10 % 31.042K active troops
  • 29.0240 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 0.00 battle tanks
  • 35.077 warships Naval power20 % 22.329 warships
  • 28.142 combat aircraft Air power25 % 17.06 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 30.4$2.3B budget Defense budget15 % 14.7$424M budget
Peru 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
Peru El Salvador Ratio
Defense budget $2.3B $424M 🇵🇪 5.5×
– share of GDP 0.8% 1.2% 🇸🇻 1.5×
Active personnel 158,000 42,000 🇵🇪 3.8×
Combat aircraft 42 6 🇵🇪 7.0×
Warships 77 29 🇵🇪 2.7×
– submarines 5 0 🇵🇪
Main battle tanks 240 0 🇵🇪
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 188,000 9,900 🇵🇪 19×
Paramilitary forces 77,000 17,000 🇵🇪 4.5×
Military aircraft (all types) 255 53 🇵🇪 4.8×
– helicopters 106 25 🇵🇪 4.2×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $68 $67 🇵🇪 ≈
Population 34.2M 6.3M 🇵🇪 5.4×
GDP $289B $35B 🇵🇪 8.2×
GDP per capita $8,452 $5,580 🇵🇪 1.5×
Land area 1,279,996 km² 20,721 km² 🇵🇪 62×
Coastline 2,414 km 307 km 🇵🇪 7.9×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇵🇪 PeruA-37 Dragonfly ×20T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×205Type 209-class ×5
🇸🇻 El SalvadorA-37 Dragonfly ×6
Defense budget history Peru ×1.0 · El Salvador ×1.2 since 2020
Military personnel history
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Peru vsChileArgentinaMexicoVenezuelaColombia
El Salvador vsHondurasGuatemalaDominican RepublicUruguayNicaragua
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Peru or El Salvador?
Peru has approximately 158,000 active military personnel compared to El Salvador's 42,000, giving Peru a 3.8:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Peru or El Salvador?
Peru operates 42 combat aircraft compared to El Salvador's 6. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Peru or El Salvador?
Peru has a larger navy with 77 vessels compared to El Salvador's 29 ships. Peru operates 5 submarines while El Salvador has 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Peru or El Salvador?
Peru has a larger defense budget at $2.3 billion (5.5:1 more) compared to El Salvador's $424 million annually.
Do Peru and El Salvador have nuclear weapons?
Neither Peru nor El Salvador currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Peru and El Salvador compare?
Peru operates 240 main battle tanks compared to El Salvador's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.