Statizoid

Military personnel as a share of total population in El Salvador

El Salvador: Military personnel as a share of total population was 0.3981 in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
0.3981
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
54th
of 194 countries
All-time high
1.12
in 1991
All-time low
0.1103
in 1963
Years of data
142
1875–2022

Military personnel as a share of total population in El Salvador, 1875–2022

00.250.50.751187519482022

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for military personnel as a share of total population in El Salvador is 0.3981, measured in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 56.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel as a share of total population in El Salvador peaked at 1.12 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.1103, in 1963.

That places El Salvador 54th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Military personnel as a share of total population in El Salvador, year by year

Year Value Change
1875 0.1838 —
1876 0.1802 -2.0%
1877 0.1767 -1.9%
1878 0.1733 -1.9%
1879 0.1701 -1.9%
1880 0.1667 -2.0%
1881 0.1634 -2.0%
1882 0.1603 -1.9%
1883 0.1572 -1.9%
1884 0.1553 -1.2%
1885 0.1536 -1.1%
1886 0.304 +97.9%
1887 0.3008 -1.1%
1888 0.2981 -0.9%
1889 0.2933 -1.6%
1890 0.2903 -1.0%
1891 0.5772 +98.8%
1892 0.5682 -1.6%
1893 0.5533 -2.6%
1894 0.542 -2.0%
1895 0.5305 -2.1%
1896 0.5229 -1.4%
1897 0.3851 -26.3%
1898 0.3817 -0.9%
1899 0.3788 -0.8%
1900 0.5 +32.0%
1901 0.3659 -26.8%
1902 0.3571 -2.4%
1903 0.4651 +30.2%
1904 0.3448 -25.9%
1905 0.3371 -2.2%
1906 0.3297 -2.2%
1907 0.3226 -2.2%
1908 0.3158 -2.1%
1909 0.3093 -2.1%
1910 0.303 -2.0%
1911 0.3 -1.0%
1912 0.2941 -2.0%
1913 0.2885 -1.9%
1914 0.283 -1.9%
1915 0.2804 -0.9%
1916 0.2727 -2.7%
1917 0.2703 -0.9%
1918 0.2655 -1.8%
1919 0.2609 -1.7%
1920 0.2564 -1.7%
1921 0.3361 +31.1%
1922 0.3279 -2.5%
1923 0.3226 -1.6%
1924 0.315 -2.4%
1925 0.2308 -26.7%
1926 0.2256 -2.3%
1927 0.2222 -1.5%
1928 0.2158 -2.9%
1929 0.2128 -1.4%
1930 0.2083 -2.1%
1931 0.2055 -1.4%
1932 0.2041 -0.7%
1933 0.2013 -1.3%
1934 0.1987 -1.3%
1935 0.1961 -1.3%
1936 0.129 -34.2%
1937 0.1274 -1.3%
1938 0.1887 +48.1%
1939 0.1863 -1.2%
1946 0.1705 -8.5%
1947 0.1685 -1.1%
1948 0.1657 -1.7%
1949 0.1635 -1.3%
1950 0.1614 -1.3%
1951 0.1569 -2.8%
1952 0.1527 -2.7%
1953 0.1485 -2.7%
1954 0.1444 -2.7%
1955 0.3279 +127.0%
1956 0.3189 -2.7%
1957 0.3101 -2.7%
1958 0.3016 -2.8%
1959 0.2934 -2.7%
1960 0.2715 -7.4%
1961 0.2375 -12.5%
1962 0.2284 -3.8%
1963 0.1103 -51.7%
1964 0.1416 +28.5%
1965 0.1366 -3.6%
1966 0.1317 -3.6%
1967 0.1269 -3.6%
1968 0.1225 -3.5%
1969 0.118 -3.7%
1970 0.1132 -4.1%
1971 0.1645 +45.4%
1972 0.2181 +32.6%
1973 0.2121 -2.7%
1974 0.2058 -3.0%
1975 0.1998 -2.9%
1976 0.1941 -2.8%
1977 0.188 -3.1%
1978 0.2527 +34.4%
1979 0.3157 +24.9%
1980 0.3549 +12.4%
1981 0.5014 +41.3%
1982 0.6006 +19.8%
1983 0.6774 +12.8%
1984 0.9414 +39.0%
1985 0.9885 +5.0%
1986 0.9701 -1.9%
1987 0.9695 -0.1%
1988 0.8841 -8.8%
1989 0.8666 -2.0%
1990 1.09 +26.2%
1991 1.12 +2.6%
1992 0.8946 -20.2%
1993 0.9086 +1.6%
1994 0.5427 -40.3%
1995 0.3886 -28.4%
1996 0.3796 -2.3%
1997 0.253 -33.3%
1998 0.2487 -1.7%
1999 0.2437 -2.0%
2000 0.2709 +11.1%
2001 0.2657 -1.9%
2002 0.283 +6.5%
2003 0.2654 -6.2%
2004 0.2645 -0.3%
2005 0.2635 -0.4%
2006 0.2624 -0.4%
2007 0.2613 -0.4%
2008 0.2601 -0.5%
2009 0.2588 -0.5%
2010 0.2573 -0.6%
2011 0.2558 -0.6%
2012 0.2541 -0.7%
2013 0.24 -5.6%
2014 0.2388 -0.5%
2015 0.2376 -0.5%
2016 0.394 +65.8%
2017 0.4023 +2.1%
2018 0.4019 -0.1%
2019 0.4018 -0.0%
2020 0.401 -0.2%
2021 0.3996 -0.3%
2022 0.3981 -0.4%

El Salvador compared with similar countries

  • El Salvador's 0.3981 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.2891, 1.4× the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • El Salvador's 0.3981 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.2113, 1.9× the median. (33 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Military personnel as a share of total population in El Salvador changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1955 +127.0% 0.1444 0.3279
1891 +98.8% 0.2903 0.5772
1886 +97.9% 0.1536 0.304
2016 +65.8% 0.2376 0.394
1963 -51.7% 0.2284 0.1103
1938 +48.1% 0.1274 0.1887

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1870s 0.1768 0.1701 0.1838 5
1880s 0.2152 0.1536 0.304 10
1890s 0.473 0.2903 0.5772 10
1900s 0.3647 0.3093 0.5 10
1910s 0.2818 0.2609 0.303 10
1920s 0.2665 0.2128 0.3361 10
1930s 0.1845 0.1274 0.2083 10
1940s 0.167 0.1635 0.1705 4
1950s 0.2316 0.1444 0.3279 10
1960s 0.1625 0.1103 0.2715 10
1970s 0.2064 0.1132 0.3157 10
1980s 0.7754 0.3549 0.9885 10
1990s 0.6074 0.2437 1.12 10
2000s 0.2655 0.2588 0.283 10
2010s 0.3084 0.2376 0.4023 10
2020s 0.3996 0.3981 0.401 3

Countries ranked near El Salvador

  1. 51 Serbia 0.4123 compare
  2. 52 Turkey 0.4078 compare
  3. 53 Ethiopia 0.4012 compare
  4. 55 United States 0.3945 compare
  5. 56 Kuwait 0.3922 compare
  6. 57 Egypt 0.3898 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More population data for El Salvador

All data for El Salvador →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel as a share of total population in El Salvador?
Military personnel as a share of total population in El Salvador was 0.3981 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in El Salvador?
The highest recorded value was 1.12 in 1991.
What is the lowest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in El Salvador?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1103 in 1963.
How does El Salvador rank for military personnel as a share of total population?
El Salvador ranks 54th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in El Salvador?
Over the last ten years it is up 56.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this El Salvador data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Military personnel as a share of total population in El Salvador. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 12 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel-as-a-share-of-total-population/el-salvador/

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About this data

Indicator
Military personnel as a share of total population
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 15,765 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed