CONFLICTIQ
HEAD TO HEAD

Costa Rica vs El Salvador

Costa Rica
36%
RAI
El Salvador
64%

Verdict

El Salvador holds a 64–36 advantage over Costa Rica on the Relative Advantage Index, a clear margin.

The margin is driven by military spending (100% of the combined total, $490m) and active personnel (100% of the combined total, 25.0k). Costa Rica leads on logistics & power projection and economic size (GDP).

1 factor — nuclear warheads — could not be scored because the figure is unpublished for at least one side. Those factors are excluded and the remaining weights renormalised, never substituted.

Factor by factor

FactorCosta RicaShareEl SalvadorWeight
Military spending
SIPRI Milex
$0
0%100%
$490m33%
Economic size (GDP)
World Bank WDI
$95.4bn
73%27%
$35.4bn27%
Active personnel
COW NMC
0
0%100%
25.0k20%
Logistics & power projection
OurAirports
21
81%19%
520%

Shares are each side's portion of the combined total for that factor. Weights are renormalised across the factors both sides publish — see the methodology. Data read 2026-08-04.

Full Costa Rica dossier →Full El Salvador dossier →Run a war game →

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Major-power matchups (435)

Every combination inside the top 30 of the Composite Power Index.

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RussiaEthiopia v Saudi ArabiaEthiopia v South KoreaEthiopia v SpainEthiopia v ThailandEthiopia v TürkiyeEthiopia v UkraineEthiopia v United KingdomEthiopia v United StatesEthiopia v VietnamFrance v GermanyFrance v IndiaFrance v IndonesiaFrance v IranFrance v ItalyFrance v JapanFrance v MexicoFrance v MyanmarFrance v North KoreaFrance v PakistanFrance v PhilippinesFrance v PolandFrance v RussiaFrance v Saudi ArabiaFrance v South KoreaFrance v SpainFrance v ThailandFrance v TürkiyeFrance v UkraineFrance v United KingdomFrance v United StatesFrance v VietnamGermany v IndiaGermany v IndonesiaGermany v IranGermany v ItalyGermany v JapanGermany v MexicoGermany v MyanmarGermany v North KoreaGermany v PakistanGermany v PhilippinesGermany v PolandGermany v RussiaGermany v Saudi ArabiaGermany v South KoreaGermany v SpainGermany v ThailandGermany v TürkiyeGermany v UkraineGermany v United KingdomGermany v United StatesGermany v VietnamIndia v IndonesiaIndia v IranIndia v ItalyIndia v JapanIndia v MexicoIndia v MyanmarIndia v North KoreaIndia v PakistanIndia v PhilippinesIndia v PolandIndia v RussiaIndia v Saudi ArabiaIndia v South KoreaIndia v SpainIndia v ThailandIndia v TürkiyeIndia v UkraineIndia v United KingdomIndia v United StatesIndia v VietnamIndonesia v IranIndonesia v ItalyIndonesia v JapanIndonesia v MexicoIndonesia v MyanmarIndonesia v North KoreaIndonesia v PakistanIndonesia v PhilippinesIndonesia v PolandIndonesia v RussiaIndonesia v Saudi ArabiaIndonesia v South KoreaIndonesia v SpainIndonesia v ThailandIndonesia v TürkiyeIndonesia v UkraineIndonesia v United KingdomIndonesia v United StatesIndonesia v VietnamIran v ItalyIran v JapanIran v MexicoIran v MyanmarIran v North KoreaIran v PakistanIran v PhilippinesIran v PolandIran v RussiaIran v Saudi ArabiaIran v South KoreaIran v SpainIran v ThailandIran v TürkiyeIran v UkraineIran v United KingdomIran v United StatesIran v VietnamItaly v JapanItaly v MexicoItaly v MyanmarItaly v North KoreaItaly v PakistanItaly v PhilippinesItaly v PolandItaly v RussiaItaly v Saudi ArabiaItaly v South KoreaItaly v SpainItaly v ThailandItaly v TürkiyeItaly v UkraineItaly v United KingdomItaly v United StatesItaly v VietnamJapan v MexicoJapan v MyanmarJapan v North KoreaJapan v PakistanJapan v PhilippinesJapan v PolandJapan v RussiaJapan v Saudi ArabiaJapan v South KoreaJapan v SpainJapan v ThailandJapan v TürkiyeJapan v UkraineJapan v United KingdomJapan v United StatesJapan v VietnamMexico v MyanmarMexico v North KoreaMexico v PakistanMexico v PhilippinesMexico v PolandMexico v RussiaMexico v Saudi ArabiaMexico v South KoreaMexico v SpainMexico v ThailandMexico v TürkiyeMexico v UkraineMexico v United KingdomMexico v United StatesMexico v VietnamMyanmar v North KoreaMyanmar v PakistanMyanmar v PhilippinesMyanmar v PolandMyanmar v RussiaMyanmar v Saudi ArabiaMyanmar v South KoreaMyanmar v SpainMyanmar v ThailandMyanmar v TürkiyeMyanmar v UkraineMyanmar v United KingdomMyanmar v United StatesMyanmar v VietnamNorth Korea v PakistanNorth Korea v PhilippinesNorth Korea v PolandNorth Korea v RussiaNorth Korea v Saudi ArabiaNorth Korea v South KoreaNorth Korea v SpainNorth Korea v ThailandNorth Korea v TürkiyeNorth Korea v UkraineNorth Korea v United KingdomNorth Korea v United StatesNorth Korea v VietnamPakistan v PhilippinesPakistan v PolandPakistan v RussiaPakistan v Saudi ArabiaPakistan v South KoreaPakistan v SpainPakistan v ThailandPakistan v TürkiyePakistan v UkrainePakistan v United KingdomPakistan v United StatesPakistan v VietnamPhilippines v PolandPhilippines v RussiaPhilippines v Saudi ArabiaPhilippines v South KoreaPhilippines v SpainPhilippines v ThailandPhilippines v TürkiyePhilippines v UkrainePhilippines v United KingdomPhilippines v United StatesPhilippines v VietnamPoland v RussiaPoland v Saudi ArabiaPoland v South KoreaPoland v SpainPoland v ThailandPoland v TürkiyePoland v UkrainePoland v United KingdomPoland v United StatesPoland v VietnamRussia v Saudi ArabiaRussia 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Neighbour rivalries (473)

Bordering states — the comparisons people actually search for.

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United StatesCyprus v EgyptCyprus v GreeceCyprus v IsraelCyprus v LebanonCyprus v SyriaCyprus v TürkiyeCzechia v GermanyCzechia v PolandCzechia v SlovakiaDenmark v EstoniaDenmark v FranceDenmark v GermanyDenmark v LatviaDenmark v LithuaniaDenmark v NetherlandsDenmark v NorwayDenmark v PolandDenmark v SwedenDenmark v United KingdomDjibouti v EritreaDjibouti v EthiopiaDjibouti v Saudi ArabiaDjibouti v SomaliaDjibouti v YemenDominica v GrenadaDominica v St. Kitts and NevisDominica v St. LuciaDominica v St. Vincent and the GrenadinesDominica v VenezuelaDominican Republic v HaitiDominican Republic v JamaicaDominican Republic v St. Kitts and NevisDR Congo v RwandaDR Congo v South SudanDR Congo v SudanDR Congo v TanzaniaDR Congo v UgandaDR Congo v ZambiaEcuador v PeruEgypt v GreeceEgypt v IraqEgypt v IsraelEgypt v JordanEgypt v LebanonEgypt v LibyaEgypt v SudanEgypt v SyriaEl Salvador v GuatemalaEl Salvador v HondurasEl Salvador v NicaraguaEquatorial Guinea v GabonEquatorial Guinea v NigeriaEquatorial Guinea v Sao Tome and PrincipeEritrea v EthiopiaEritrea v Saudi ArabiaEritrea v SudanEritrea v YemenEstonia v FinlandEstonia v GermanyEstonia v LatviaEstonia v PolandEstonia v SwedenEswatini v MozambiqueEswatini v South AfricaEthiopia v KenyaEthiopia v SomaliaEthiopia v South SudanEthiopia v SudanEthiopia v YemenFiji v TongaFiji v TuvaluFinland v GermanyFinland v LatviaFinland v LithuaniaFinland v NorwayFinland v SwedenFrance v IrelandFrance v LuxembourgFrance v MonacoFrance v NetherlandsFrance v SwitzerlandFrance v TunisiaFrance v VaticanGabon v NigeriaGabon v Sao Tome and PrincipeGambia v SenegalGeorgia v RussiaGeorgia v TürkiyeGeorgia v UkraineGermany v HungaryGermany v LatviaGermany v LithuaniaGermany v LuxembourgGermany v NetherlandsGermany v NorwayGermany v SerbiaGermany v SwedenGermany v SwitzerlandGhana v NigeriaGhana v TogoGreece v LibyaGreece v MaltaGreece v North MacedoniaGrenada v GuyanaGrenada v St. Kitts and NevisGrenada v St. Vincent and the 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Sts.Indonesia v PalauIndonesia v Papua New GuineaIndonesia v SingaporeIndonesia v Timor-LesteIran v IraqIran v KazakhstanIran v KuwaitIran v OmanIran v QatarIran v TurkmenistanIran v United Arab EmiratesIraq v JordanIraq v KuwaitIraq v QatarIraq v SyriaIreland v United KingdomIsrael v JordanIsrael v LebanonIsrael v Saudi ArabiaIsrael v SyriaItaly v LibyaItaly v MaltaItaly v MonacoItaly v MontenegroItaly v San MarinoItaly v SloveniaItaly v SwitzerlandItaly v TunisiaItaly v VaticanJamaica v NicaraguaJapan v TaiwanJordan v Saudi ArabiaJordan v SyriaKazakhstan v KyrgyzstanKazakhstan v RussiaKazakhstan v TurkmenistanKazakhstan v UzbekistanKenya v SomaliaKenya v South SudanKenya v SudanKenya v TanzaniaKenya v UgandaKiribati v Marshall IslandsKiribati v NauruKiribati v TuvaluKuwait v QatarKuwait v Saudi ArabiaKyrgyzstan v TajikistanKyrgyzstan v UzbekistanLaos v MyanmarLaos v ThailandLaos v VietnamLatvia v LithuaniaLebanon v SyriaLebanon v TürkiyeLesotho v South AfricaLiberia v Sierra LeoneLibya v MaltaLibya v NigerLibya v TunisiaLiechtenstein v SwitzerlandMadagascar v MozambiqueMadagascar v SeychellesMalawi v MozambiqueMalawi v TanzaniaMalawi v ZambiaMalaysia v PhilippinesMalaysia v SingaporeMalaysia v VietnamMali v MauritaniaMali v SenegalMalta v TunisiaMauritania v MoroccoMauritania v SenegalMauritania v SpainMauritius v SeychellesMicronesia, Fed. Sts. v PalauMicronesia, Fed. 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