Panama leads security spending

Panama is the Central American country, which invests most in national security, according to the Comparative Atlas of Defence in Latin America and the Caribbean (only in Spanish), published by the Security and Defense Network of Latin America.

Panama's annual security budget is $1.2 billion, compared to $743 million for Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua combined.
Costa Rica has no army, but spends $963 million.

Panama ranks ninth In Latin America in security spending.

Nicaragua is the Central American country, which spends least on defense - just $83 million last year.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, Brazil is the biggest spender on security services, while Haiti is last (figures in parentheses indicate the position in Latin America of each country in the region).

1. Panama (9)
2. Costa Rica (10)
3. Guatemala (16)
4. Honduras (17)
5. El Salvador (18)
6. Nicaragua (19)