El Salvador
Country in Americas
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 6.4M (2025). World rank 112 of 216; in Americas, 19 of 46. Area: 21,041 km². World rank 153 of 249; in Americas, 27 of 56. GDP per person: $5,767 (2025). World rank 134 of 210 (1 = best); in Americas, 40 of 45. From 2015 to 2025: population 6.2M → 6.4M, GDP $23.4B → $36.7B, and GDP per person $3,790 → $5,767. Worse than all its neighbours (Guatemala and Honduras): life expectancy.
State
- Official name
- Republic of El Salvador
- Local name
- El Salvador
- Capital
- San Salvador
- Region
- Americas
- Form of government
- Presidential republic
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Nayib Bukele
- Head of government
- Nayib Bukele
- Independence
- September 15, 1821
- Women in parliament
- 31.7% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 6,365,503 2025
- Area
- 21,041 km²
- GDP
- $36.7B 2025
- GDP per person
- $5,767 2025
- Life expectancy
- 72.3 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- Spanish
- Currency
- US Dollar (USD)
- Time zones
- UTC−6
- Calling code
- +503
- Emergency numbers
- 911, 913
- Driving side
- Right
- Plug types
- A, B
- Mains voltage
- 115 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 307
- Neighbours
- Guatemala, Honduras
- Agricultural land
- 57.3% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Cerro El Pital, 2,730 m
- Lowest point
- Pacific Ocean, 0 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 442
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 27
- Warmest month in the capital
- April, 28°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- November, 26°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 1,784 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 302.5 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +0.4% 2025
- Living in cities
- 75.5% 2025
- Net migration per year
- -23.9K 2025
- Born in another country
- 0.7% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 24.4% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 67.3% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 8.3% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 76.5 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 67.8 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 1.8 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 15.6 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 7.5 2024
Society
- Religions
- Catholic 43.9%, Protestant 39.6%, and no religion 16.3% (2023)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 47 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 37 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 47.5 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 53.1 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 44 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $14,101 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +3.9% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Upper-middle income
- Gross national income per person
- $5,410 2025
- Inflation
- +0.3% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 41 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 4.4% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 24.5% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 58.9% 2025
- Unemployment
- 3.3% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 7.8% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 49.1% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 32% 2025
- Imports, share of GDP
- 56.1% 2025
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- -3.5% 2025
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +2.1% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 27.5% 2025
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 21.8% 2024
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 39.8 2023
- Living on under $3 a day
- 4.6% 2023
Education
- Adult literacy
- 89.8% 2024
- Primary school enrolment
- 89.9% 2024
- Secondary school enrolment
- 62.1% 2024
- Higher education enrolment
- 32.8% 2024
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 3.3% 2024
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 9.3% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $501 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 32.5% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 1.6 2023
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 2.2 2022
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 1.2 2023
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 96% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 8.8 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 10 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 39 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 0.4% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 12.7% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 66.2% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 8.2% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 91.6% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 88% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 95% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 7.9 2022
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 20.9 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 7.6 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 67.6 2025
- Natural hazards
- earthquakes, volcanoes, and tropical cyclones
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 29.6 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 1.5 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 2.3 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 33% 2024
- Protected areas
- 2.1% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 2,489 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 12.1% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 66.5% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 177 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 12.5 2024
- Internet domain
- .sv
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 98.7% 2024
- Electricity use, kWh per person
- 1,208 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 21.9% 2021
- Electricity from renewables
- 95.6% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 31.1% 2024
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 3,263,923 2023
- Airports
- 27 2025
- Railways, km
- 12 2014
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0.1% 2023
- Researchers per million people
- 55 2023
- Scientific articles per year
- 65 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 6 2024
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 5.6% 2024