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

Venezuela (ranked #59 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than El Salvador (#105) on the ATLAS Index. Venezuela fields 123,000 active troops — 5.0:1 El Salvador's 24,500, backed by 8,000 reserves and 220,000 paramilitary. El Salvador allocates $0.4B to defense compared to $0.7B for Venezuela.

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of El Salvador El SalvadorWorld #105 13.8
ATLAS Index / 100

Venezuela leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Venezuela VenezuelaWorld #59 26.5
  • 31.124K active troops Manpower10 % 47.1123K active troops
  • 0.00 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 30.6173 battle tanks
  • 22.224 warships Naval power20 % 29.863 warships
  • 15.76 combat aircraft Air power25 % 27.548 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 14.7$424M budget Defense budget15 % 16.7$719M budget
El Salvador Venezuela 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
El Salvador Venezuela Ratio
Defense budget $424M $719M 🇻🇪 1.7×
– share of GDP 1.2% 0.6% 🇸🇻 2.0×
Active personnel 24,500 123,000 🇻🇪 5.0×
Combat aircraft 6 48 🇻🇪 8.0×
Warships 24 63 🇻🇪 2.6×
– submarines 0 0 —
Main battle tanks 0 173 🇻🇪
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 9,900 8,000 🇸🇻 1.2×
Paramilitary forces 17,000 220,000 🇻🇪 13×
Military aircraft (all types) 45 220 🇻🇪 4.9×
– helicopters 29 74 🇻🇪 2.6×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $67 $25 🇸🇻 2.6×
Population 6.4M 28.5M 🇻🇪 4.5×
GDP $37B $100B 🇻🇪 2.7×
GDP per capita $5,767 $3,495 🇸🇻 1.7×
Land area 20,721 km² 882,050 km² 🇻🇪 43×
Coastline 307 km 2,800 km 🇻🇪 9.1×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇸🇻 El SalvadorA-37 Dragonfly ×6
🇻🇪 VenezuelaJL-8 ×23T-72 ×92
Defense budget history El Salvador ×1.0 · Venezuela ×1.3 since 2022
Military personnel history
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El Salvador vsHondurasGuatemalaDominican RepublicUruguayNicaragua
Venezuela vsColombiaBrazilArgentinaEcuadorPeru
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, El Salvador or Venezuela?
Venezuela has approximately 123,000 active military personnel compared to El Salvador's 24,500, giving Venezuela a 5.0:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, El Salvador or Venezuela?
Venezuela operates 48 combat aircraft compared to El Salvador's 6. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, El Salvador or Venezuela?
Venezuela has a larger navy with 63 warships compared to El Salvador's 24.
Which country spends more on defense, El Salvador or Venezuela?
Venezuela has a larger defense budget at $719 million (1.7:1 more) compared to El Salvador's $424 million annually.
Do El Salvador and Venezuela have nuclear weapons?
Neither El Salvador nor Venezuela currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of El Salvador and Venezuela compare?
Venezuela operates 173 main battle tanks compared to El Salvador's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.