National Identity
- Official name
- Republic of El Salvador
- Official name (in Spanish)
- República de El Salvador
- Name etymology
means "the Savior" in Spanish and is a shortened form of "the Divine Savior of the World" (el Divino Salvador del Mundo), referring to Jesus Christ; 16th-century Spanish colonists gave the name "San Salvador" to the fort located where the country's capital of San Salvador now stands, and the name was later used for the city and the surrounding region; the country was officially named El Salvador in 1824
Sources:- Constitution of the Republic of El Salvador ↗ - Legislative Assembly of El Salvador
- The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
- Coat of arms
- National flag
Translated from the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador The national Flag is composed of two horizontal blue stripes, and placed between them a white stripe, on a rectangle of cloth.
The three stripes shall have the same dimensions.
Unofficial translation by WorldometerTranslated from the Presidency of the Republic of El Salvador The two blue stripes symbolize the two oceans that bathe Central America: the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic; the white colour symbolizes peace.
Unofficial translation by WorldometerTranslated from the Presidency of the Republic of El Salvador Our current flag belonged to the Central American Federation, decreed by the National Assembly on 21 August 1823. It was Manuel José Arce who chose the colours when he was appointed chief of the Salvadoran militiamen who fought the annexation of the United Provinces of Central America to Mexico in 1822.
Arce remembered the colours of the Argentine national heroes San Martín and Belgramo, communicated the idea to his wife, doña Felipa Aranzamendi, and to his sister, Antonia Manuela. Both made the Flag of the Province of El Salvador out of white and sky-blue silk.
On 20 February 1822, it was blessed in a ceremony held in a church in San Salvador, attended by the people and the troops. With it, as a national symbol, the Salvadoran armies covered themselves in glory until they fell, defeated by the superiority of the adversary.
Unofficial translation by WorldometerTranslated from the Presidency of the Republic of El Salvador National Flag of El Salvador (1865)
This flag was formed of five blue stripes and four white ones, which in the upper corner held a crimson-coloured square (a burgundy-red type), with 14 white stars of five points each, which symbolized the departments of the republic.
It was adopted by decree on 28 April 1865, issued by the President of the Republic, Doctor Francisco Dueñas. The previous flag had only 9 stars, since at that time there were only nine departments: San Salvador, Sonsonate, San Vicente, San Miguel, La Paz, Santa Ana, Chalatenango, La Libertad and Cuscatlán. As the number of departments increased, stars were added until reaching the 14 in 1875.
Unofficial translation by WorldometerTranslated from the Presidency of the Republic of El Salvador But it was not until 17 May 1912 that the Legislative Branch adopted it as a national symbol.
The initiative came from the President of the Republic, Doctor Manuel Enrique Araujo, who raised it for the first time on 15 September of that same year at the Presidential Stand of the Campo de Marte and thus officially made it the new national symbol.
Unofficial translation by WorldometerSources:- asamblea.gob.sv ↗ - the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador
- presidencia.gob.sv ↗ - the Presidency of the Republic of El Salvador
- National anthem
- Himno Nacional de El Salvador4:14
- Title (in Spanish)
- Himno Nacional de El Salvador
- Title (in English, translated)
- National Anthem of El Salvador
- Lyrics
ChorusSaludemos la patria orgullosos de hijos suyos podernos llamar; y juremos la vida animosos, sin descanso a su bien consagrar. Saludemos la patria orgullosos de hijos suyos podernos llamar; y juremos la vida animosos, sin descanso a su bien consagrar, consagrar, consagrar, consagrar, consagrar.
1De la paz en la dicha suprema siempre noble soñó El Salvador; fue obtenerla su eterno problema, conservarla es su gloria mayor. Y con fe inquebrantable el camino del progreso se afana en seguir; por llenar su grandioso destino: conquistarse un feliz porvenir. Le protege una férrea barrera contra el choque de ruin deslealtad desde el día que en su alta bandera con su sangre escribió: ¡LIBERTAD! escribió: ¡LIBERTAD!, escribió: ¡LIBERTAD!
Saludemos la patria orgullosos2Libertad es su dogma, es su guía que mil veces logró defender; y otras tantas, de audaz tiranía rechazar el odioso poder. Dolorosa y sangrienta es su historia, pero excelsa y brillante a la vez; manantial de legítima gloria, gran lección de espartana altivez. No desmaya en su innata bravura, en cada hombre hay un héroe inmortal que sabrá mantenerse a la altura de su antiguo valor proverbial. valor proverbial, valor proverbial.
Saludemos la patria orgullosos3Todos son abnegados, y fieles al prestigio del bélico ardor con que siempre segaron laureles de la patria salvando el honor. Respetar los derechos extraños y apoyarse en la recta razón es para ella, sin torpes amaños su invariable, más firme ambición. Y en seguir esta línea se aferra dedicando su esfuerzo tenaz, en hacer cruda guerra a la guerra; su ventura se encuentra en la paz. encuentra en la paz, encuentra en la paz.
Saludemos la patria orgullososSource: - Citizens
- Salvadorans
- Official name:Constitution of the Republic of El Salvador ↗ - Legislative Assembly of El Salvador
- Official name, Citizens:The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
- National flag:asamblea.gob.sv ↗ - the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador
- National flag:presidencia.gob.sv ↗ - the Presidency of the Republic of El Salvador
- National anthem:nationalanthems.info ↗
Geography
- Location
- Total area
- 21,041 km²
- Land area
- 20,721 km²
- Water area
- 320 km²
- Land borders
- 590 km(2 countries)
- Coastline
- 307 km
- Terrain
Mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau - Mean elevation
- 442 m
- Highest point
- 2,730 mCerro El Pital
- Lowest point
- 0 mPacific Ocean
- Climate
Tropical rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands - Avg. temperature
- 25.9 °C
- Avg. daily range
- 21.8 to 31.1 °C
- Annual precipitation
- 1,580 mm
Temperature °CMeanDaily rangePrecipitation mmMonthly climate normals Month Avg. high, °C Mean, °C Avg. low, °C Precipitation, mm January 31.2 25.2 20.3 3 February 32.2 26 20.8 3 March 32.8 26.8 21.6 12 April 32.8 27.3 22.8 48 May 31.3 26.6 22.9 225 June 30.2 25.8 22.5 259 July 31.2 26.3 22.5 172 August 30.9 26.1 22.5 226 September 29.8 25.3 22.1 308 October 29.3 25 21.8 264 November 30 25 21.1 52 December 30.8 25.1 20.5 7 Country-wide averages over 1991–2020.
Sources:- The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
- Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5 reanalysis) ↗ - World Bank
- Weather
- Loading
- Land use2023
- Arable34.8%Perm. crops7.7%Pasture15.2%Forest33.0%Other9.3%
- Arable land
- 721,000 hectares (34.8%)
- Permanent crops
- 160,000 hectares (7.7%)
- Permanent meadows & pastures
- 314,700 hectares (15.2%)
- Forest
- 683,168 hectares (33.0%)
- Other land
- 193,132 hectares (9.3%)
Source: - Natural hazards2026
- Earthquakes9.2Very high#10/191Tsunamis7.6Very high#20/191Epidemics5.2High#86/191Coastal floods4.3Medium#81/191Drought3.6Low#81/191River floods3.5Low#129/191Tropical cyclones1.3Very low#58/191
Scores out of 10, ranks out of 191 countries.
Source:- INFORM Risk Index ↗ - European Commission Joint Research Centre
- Location, Land borders, Coastline, Terrain, Mean elevation, Highest point, Lowest point, Climate:The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
- Climate:Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5 reanalysis) ↗ - World Bank
- Land use:FAOSTAT Land Use domain ↗ - FAO
- Natural hazards:INFORM Risk Index ↗ - European Commission Joint Research Centre
Demographics
- Population change2026
- +0.40% per year+25,751 people/yearWorld Rank152ndof 237
- Birth rate
- 15.2 per 1,000 population
- Death rate
- 7.5 per 1,000 population
- Net migration rate
- −3.7 per 1,000 population
- 2026
- 28.4 yearsWorld Rank150thof 237
- Age structure2026
- 0-14 years24.0%15-64 years67.6%65 years +8.5%
- Share aged 65 and over
- 8.5%
- Share aged under 18
- 29.2%
- Total dependency ratio
- 48
- Youth dependency ratio
- 35
- Elderly dependency ratio
- 13
- Sex ratio
- 0.9 male / female
MaleAgeFemalePopulation by age group, % of total population Age Male Female 80+ 0.6% 1.1% 70-79 1.5% 2.4% 60-69 2.6% 4.0% 50-59 3.8% 5.5% 40-49 4.8% 6.4% 30-39 7.9% 8.1% 20-29 9.5% 9.1% 10-19 8.9% 8.4% 0-9 7.9% 7.5% - 2026
- 0.36 below the replacement level for El Salvador ()1.74 births per womanreplacement 2.10123World Rank132ndof 237
- 0.83 daughters per woman0.17 below replacement, long-run each generation smaller than the lastreplacement 1.000.511.5
- 2026
- +7.6 per 1,000 populationfor every 1,000 people, 7.6 more births than deaths a year
- 2026
- −3.7 per 1,000 population
- Urbanization2026
- 76.0% live in cities4,855,798 urban residents
- Largest cities2007latest available
- San Salvador, Soyapango, Santa Ana, San MiguelRankCity or TownPopulation (2007 census)1San Salvador316,0902Soyapango241,4033Santa Ana198,2514San Miguel155,9585Mejicanos140,7516Apopa123,0957Santa Tecla108,8408Delgado95,5749Colón91,21210Ilopango88,883Source:
- National Office of Statistics and Censuses, El Salvador and Central Reserve Bank of El Salvador (2007 census), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff ↗
- Population distribution
- High population density country-wide, with particular concentration around the capital of San Salvador.
- Ethnic groups2007
- Mestizo86.3%White12.7%Indigenous0.2%Black0.1%Other0.6%
Indigenous includes Lenca, Kakawira, Nahua-Pipil.
Source:- The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
- Religions2023
- Roman Catholic43.9%Protestant39.6%None16.3%Unspecified0.2%
- Protestant
- 39.6%
- Evangelical - unspecified
- 38.2%
- Evangelical Methodist
- 1.3%
- Evangelical Baptist
- 0.1%
Source:- The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
- Languages
- Spanish (Español)
- Population, Population change, Median age, Age structure, Total fertility rate, Net reproduction rate, Natural change, Net migration rate:UN World Population Prospects ↗
- Urbanization:UN World Urbanization Prospects ↗
- Largest cities:National Office of Statistics and Censuses, El Salvador and Central Reserve Bank of El Salvador (2007 census), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff ↗
- Population distribution, Ethnic groups, Religions:The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
Government & Administration
- Form of state
- RepublicThe President and Vice-President are elected by popular vote, the candidates with the most valid votes winning; 2025 reforms set a six-year term with no limit on re-election. The Government is "republican, democratic and representative" (Arts. 80, 85).
- System of government
- PresidentialThe President appoints and removes ministers with no parliamentary investiture; the Legislative Assembly can only recommend a minister's dismissal, binding just for security and intelligence chiefs in human-rights cases, and has no dissolution provision (Arts. 131, 162).
- Territorial organisation
- Unitary
- Official websites
- Government (in Spanish)
- President (in Spanish)
- Capital
- San Salvador333,905 people(2025)
- National holidays
- 11 days in 2026
- ThuJan 1New Year's Day
- ThuApr 2Maundy Thursday
- FriApr 3Good Friday
- SatApr 4Holy Saturday
- FriMay 1Labor Day
- SunMay 10Mother's Day
- WedJun 17Father's Day
- ThuAug 6Celebrations of San Salvador
- TueSep 15Independence Day
- MonNov 2All Souls' Day
- FriDec 25Christmas Day
Nationwide public holidays only, excluding regional, bank and government-only days.
- Time
- CSTCentral Standard TimeUTC−6
- Currency
- US Dollar (USD)
- Entry requirements
- Official visa and entry information (in Spanish)
- Calling code
- +503
- Internet TLD
- .sv
- ISO 3166-1 codes
- SV, SLV
- Infrastructure
- Railways13 km
- Passengers carried
- 3,263,923 by the country's airlines(2023)
- Aircraft departures
- 25,109 by the country's airlines(2023)
- Air freight
- 27.8 million tonne-km(2023)
- Aircraft registration prefix
- YS
Sources:- The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
- World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- 2025
- 32 / 100World Rank120thof 182
Significant declinerDown 7 points since 2015, when it scored 39.
Confidence intervalCorruption index score by year Year Score Lower bound Upper bound 2012 38 33 43 2013 38 35 41 2014 39 36 42 2015 39 35 43 2016 36 31 40 2017 33 28 38 2018 35 31 39 2019 34 29.8 38.2 2020 36 33.7 38.3 2021 34 31.4 36.6 2022 33 29.9 36.1 2023 31 28.9 33.1 2024 30 28.3 31.7 2025 32 29.6 34.4 Source:- Corruption Perceptions Index 2025 ↗ - Transparency International, CC BY 4.0
- Form of state, System of government, Territorial organisation:Constitución de la República de El Salvador (Decreto Constituyente No. 38 de 1983), texto consolidado con sus reformas ↗ - Legislative Assembly of El Salvador
- National holidays:Open World Holidays Framework (vacanza/holidays) ↗
- Infrastructure:The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
- Infrastructure:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Corruption Perceptions Index:Corruption Perceptions Index 2025 ↗ - Transparency International, CC BY 4.0
Economy
- Upper middle income
- GDP growth (real)2026
- +4.5% per yearWorld Rank44thof 195
- GDP per capita (PPP)2026
- GDP per capita (nominal)
- $6,124 (119th in the world)
Source:- 2025
- Services58.9% of GDPIndustry24.5% of GDPAgriculture4.4% of GDPManufacturing12.7%part of industry
- Households
- +81.3%
- Government
- +16.4%
- Investment
- +26.3%
- Exports
- +32%
- Imports
- −56.1%
The shape of the economyGDP by end useSource:- World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Inflation2026
- 2.7%up 2.4 percentage points2.4pp from 2025
- Labor force2024
- 3 million (47% of population)World Rank111thof 187
- Labor force participation2024
- 61.9% of people aged 15+
- Unemployment2024
- 3.3%
- Youth unemployment2024
- 7.5% ages 15 to 24
- Labor productivity2024
- $11.6 per hour worked at PPP
- Budget balance2026
- 2.3% of GDP deficit
- Current account
- 4.8% of GDP, $1.9 billion deficit
Source: - Debt2024
- Government debt87.6% of GDPHousehold debt28% of GDPCompany debt27.8% of GDPInterest on debt4.6% of GDPCentral government debt56.2% of GDP
- Trade2025
- Goods$5.6 billion47.2%
- Services$6.2 billion52.8%
- Total exports
- $11.8 billion
- Change from 2024
- up 3.3 percent on the previous year3.3%
Sources:- World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
- 2024
- +0.36World Rank59thof 145
- Projected GDP growth
- +1.5% a year over the next 10 years
Source:- Atlas of Economic Complexity ↗ - Harvard Growth Lab
- Agricultural products2024
- Sugar cane, Beans (dry), Sorghum, and 3 more
- 1Sugar cane4.4×
- 2Beans (dry)3.9×
- 3Sorghum1.8×
- 4Meat of chickens (fresh or chilled)1.5×
- 5Maize (corn)0.8×
- 6Raw milk of cattle0.6×
ProductSource:- FAOSTAT ↗ - Food and Agriculture Organization
- Gold reserves2025
- 1.8 tonnesWorth $253.8 million, 5% of total official reserves by value
- Industries
- food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals
- Income level, GDP by sector, Trade, Gold reserves:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- GDP (nominal), GDP growth (real), GDP per capita (PPP), Inflation, Budget balance:IMF World Economic Outlook ↗
- Labor force, Labor force participation, Unemployment, Youth unemployment, Labor productivity:ILOSTAT ↗ - International Labour Organization
- Debt:IMF Global Debt Database ↗
- Debt:IMF Public Finances in Modern History ↗
- Trade, Industries:The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
- Economic Complexity Index:Atlas of Economic Complexity ↗ - Harvard Growth Lab
- Agricultural products:FAOSTAT ↗ - Food and Agriculture Organization
Cost of Living
- Cost of living index
- Loading
- Monthly costs (excluding rent)
- Loading
- Rent
- Loading
- Buying an apartment
- Loading
- Average gross salary2025
- $507 per month$1,081 (PPP)
- Median
- $433 per month
- Men
- $518 per month
- Women
- $490 per month
Source:- ILOSTAT ↗ - International Labour Organization
- 2024
- $365 per month, gross$760 (PPP)
- Average gross salary, Minimum wage:ILOSTAT ↗ - International Labour Organization
Society
- 2023
- 0.678MediumWorld Rank132ndof 193El SalvadorWorld
Human Development Index by year Year El Salvador World 1990 0.523 0.608 1991 0.529 0.611 1992 0.538 0.614 1993 0.548 0.617 1994 0.558 0.620 1995 0.567 0.625 1996 0.576 0.631 1997 0.586 0.636 1998 0.594 0.641 1999 0.598 0.646 2000 0.607 0.651 2001 0.612 0.657 2002 0.621 0.662 2003 0.628 0.669 2004 0.636 0.675 2005 0.642 0.681 2006 0.647 0.688 2007 0.653 0.694 2008 0.653 0.698 2009 0.653 0.701 2010 0.660 0.707 2011 0.662 0.713 2012 0.666 0.717 2013 0.668 0.721 2014 0.668 0.726 2015 0.667 0.731 2016 0.666 0.735 2017 0.665 0.739 2018 0.670 0.741 2019 0.670 0.745 2020 0.660 0.742 2021 0.663 0.742 2022 0.674 0.752 2023 0.678 0.756 Source:- Human Development Report ↗ - United Nations Development Programme
- 2023
- 39.8
- Mean years of schooling2023
- 7.3 years
- Expected for a child today
- 11.1 years
Source:- Human Development Report ↗ - United Nations Development Programme
- Literacy2024
- 89.8% of adults
- Education expenditure2024
- 3.3% of GDP
- Share of government spending
- 10.6%
Source:- World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Internet users2024
- 66.5% of the population
- Households with Internet access
- 33.6%
Source:- ITU DataHub ↗ - International Telecommunication Union
- Mobile subscriptions2024
- 11.2 million
- Fixed telephone lines
- 885,101
- Fixed broadband
- 12.5 subscriptions per 100 people
Counts subscriptions, not people.
Source:- ITU DataHub ↗ - International Telecommunication Union
- Credit-card ownership2024
- 7% of adults
- Debit-card ownership
- 25%
- Account at a bank or mobile-money provider
- 43%
- Mobile-money account
- 6%
- Made or received a digital payment
- 28%
Source:- Global Findex Database ↗ - World Bank
- Refugees hosted2025
- 128 people
- Asylum seekers
- 300
- Internally displaced persons
- 61,000All due to conflicts
- Refugees from El Salvador abroad
- 72,944
Sources:- Refugee Data Finder ↗ - UN Refugee Agency
- Global Internal Displacement Database ↗ - Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre
- Inbound tourists2024
- Official tourism site3.2 million arrivalsup 80% against 201980% above 2019World Rank54thof 139
- Per resident
- 5 arrivals per 10 residents
- Same-day visitors
- 769,806 arrivals
- $3.9 billion
- Spending per arrival
- $1,231
- 3.5% tourism direct GDP(2018, latest available)
- Domestic trips
- 2.1 million overnight trips by residents
- Residents' trips abroad
- 1.9 million overnight trips
- $1.2 billion
- Hotel beds
- 12,750
- Average hotel stay
- 7.7 nights
Overnight arrivals by year2010 to 2024A tourist stays at least one night. Arrivals count trips, not people.
Source:- UN Tourism Data Dashboard ↗ - UN Tourism
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- 1 site1 cultural
Site Joya de Cerén Archaeological Site Source:- The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
- Human Development Index, Mean years of schooling:Human Development Report ↗ - United Nations Development Programme
- Income inequality (Gini), Education expenditure:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Literacy:UIS Data Browser ↗ - UNESCO Institute for Statistics
- Internet users, Mobile subscriptions:ITU DataHub ↗ - International Telecommunication Union
- Credit-card ownership:Global Findex Database ↗ - World Bank
- Refugees hosted:Refugee Data Finder ↗ - UN Refugee Agency
- Refugees hosted:Global Internal Displacement Database ↗ - Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre
- Inbound tourists:UN Tourism Data Dashboard ↗ - UN Tourism
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites:The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
Crime & Safety
- Travel advisory (US)
- Loading
- Active humanitarian crisisAug 2026
- Medium5.8 out of 10Political and economic crisisSeverity by monthSep 2024 to Aug 2026What the score is made ofImpact of the crisis6.8Conditions of people affected6.2Complexity of the crisis4.3
Data reliability as rated by INFORM: High. Last updated Feb 28, 2026.
Source:- INFORM Severity Index ↗ - European Commission Joint Research Centre
- Homicide rate2024
- Medium by global standards3.3 per 100,000 peopleWorld Rank45thof 115
- Crime rates
- 7 offence categories
Offence Per 100,000 Count Year Homicide (victims) 3.3 209 2024 Serious assault 77.4 4,862 2022 Sexual violence 107.3 6,737 2022 Kidnapping 0.0 3 2022 Burglary 37.1 2,331 2022 Theft 146.0 9,172 2022 Vehicle theft 12.9 808 2022 A low figure can also mean weak recording.
Source:- UNODC Data Portal ↗ - UN Office on Drugs and Crime
- Prison population2020
- 596.5 per 100,000 people
- Persons held
- 37,190
Source:- UNODC Data Portal ↗ - UN Office on Drugs and Crime
- Active humanitarian crisis:INFORM Severity Index ↗ - European Commission Joint Research Centre
- Homicide rate, Crime rates, Prison population:UNODC Data Portal ↗ - UN Office on Drugs and Crime
Health
- Life expectancy2026
- 72.7 years
- Health expenditure2023
- 9.3% of GDP$501 per person
- Physicians2023
- 1.62 per 1,000 population
- Hospital beds2023
- 1.2 per 1,000 population
- Infant mortality2026
- 8.6 per 1,000 live births
- Maternal mortality2023
- 39 per 100,000 live births
- Alcohol consumption2022
- 3.4 litres of pure alcohol per adult per year
- Tobacco use2022
- 8.6% of adults
- Men
- 14.9%
- Women
- 2.3%
Source:- Global Health Observatory ↗ - World Health Organization
- Alcohol and Tobacco Spending2023
- 0.5% of household spendingWorld Rank97thof 105
- World median
- 3.1%
Source:- The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
- Road traffic deaths2019
- 20.9 per 100,000 population
- Life expectancy, Infant mortality:UN World Population Prospects ↗
- Health expenditure, Physicians, Hospital beds, Road traffic deaths:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Maternal mortality:Maternal mortality estimates ↗ - UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-agency Group
- Alcohol consumption, Tobacco use:Global Health Observatory ↗ - World Health Organization
- Alcohol and Tobacco Spending:The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
Environment
- CO₂ emissions2024
- 9.54 Mt per yearup 3.3 percent on the previous year3.3% from 2023
- CO₂ per capita
- 1.4 t per personWorld Rank137thof 207
- Share of global CO₂
- 0.02%
- Methane (CH₄)
- 3.79 Mt CO₂-eq
- Nitrous oxide (N₂O)
- 0.95 Mt CO₂-eq
- Fluorinated gases
- 0.47 Mt CO₂-eq
- All greenhouse gases
- 14.8 Mt CO₂-eq
Source:- Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) ↗ - European Commission, Joint Research Centre
- 2024
- 29.6 µg/m³ of PM2.52.4 years of life expectancy lost against the WHO guidelineMost polluted23rdof 236
- WHO guideline
- 5 µg/m³
- National standard
- 15 µg/m³
- Life expectancy gain if the national standard were met
- 1.4 years
Source:- Air Quality Life Index ↗ - Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago
- Environmental issues
- deforestation
- soil erosion
- water pollution
- contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes
Source:- The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
- International agreements
- 16 of 20 landmark treaties in forceParty to 70 multilateral environmental agreements
Treaty Standing Joined Climate Paris Agreement in force 2017 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in force 1996 Kyoto Protocol in force 2005 Ozone layer Montreal Protocol in force 1993 Vienna Convention (Ozone Layer) in force 1992 Biodiversity Convention on Biological Diversity in force 1994 CITES in force 1987 Convention on Migratory Species (Bonn) not a party Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in force 2003 Nagoya Protocol signed 2012, not ratified Land and heritage Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in force 1999 World Heritage Convention in force 1992 UN Convention to Combat Desertification in force 1997 Chemicals and waste Basel Convention in force 1992 Rotterdam Convention (PIC) in force 2004 Stockholm Convention (POPs) in force 2008 Minamata Convention on Mercury in force 2017 Oceans UN Convention on the Law of the Sea signed 1984, not ratified High Seas Treaty (BBNJ) not a party MARPOL 73/78 in force 2008 Source:- International Environmental Agreements Database ↗ - Université Laval
- CO₂ emissions:Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) ↗ - European Commission, Joint Research Centre
- Air pollution:Air Quality Life Index ↗ - Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago
- Environmental issues:The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
- International agreements:International Environmental Agreements Database ↗ - Université Laval
Food & Water
- No access to safe drinking water2022
- 6.2% of the population
- Renewable water2022
- 26 billion m³ per year
- Per person
- 4,183 m³ per year
- Dependency ratio
- 41% originates outside the country
- Annual water withdrawal
- 1.9 billion m³ per year
- Withdrawn for agriculture
- 73%
- Water stress
- 12% of available freshwater withdrawn
Source:- AQUASTAT ↗ - Food and Agriculture Organization
- Undernourishment2022
- 7.1% of the population400,000 people
- Obesity2024
- 32.2% of adults
- Men
- 23.8%
- Women
- 38.8%
Source:- Global Health Observatory ↗ - World Health Organization
- Underweight children2021
- 5% of children under five
- No access to safe drinking water, Renewable water:AQUASTAT ↗ - Food and Agriculture Organization
- Undernourishment:Food security indicators (FAOSTAT) ↗ - Food and Agriculture Organization
- Obesity:Global Health Observatory ↗ - World Health Organization
- Underweight children:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
Energy
- Energy consumption2024
- Per capita
- 26.6 GJ per person
- Share of world total
- 0.03%
- Supply
- Deficitproduces 16% of what it consumes, 2024
Source:- International Energy Statistics ↗ - U.S. Energy Information Administration
- Electricity2024
- Net exporter, net 0.3 TWh in 2024, 5.9% of consumption6.8 TWh generated per year
- Generation
- 6.8 TWh per year
- Consumption
- 5.6 TWh per year
- Imports
- 0.2 TWh per year
- Exports
- 0.5 TWh per year
- Net
- +0.3 TWh per year
Source:- International Energy Statistics ↗ - U.S. Energy Information Administration
- Oil, gas & coal
- No meaningful productionproduces under 2% of what it consumes, 2024
Oil imports and exports count crude oil only.
- Energy consumption, Electricity, Oil, gas & coal:International Energy Statistics ↗ - U.S. Energy Information Administration
Defense
- Military expenditure2024
- 1.2% of GDP$425.2 million, 3.8% of government spending
- Military personnel2025
- approximately 25,000active FAES
El Salvador has pledged to increase the size of the military to 40,000 troops by 2026.
Source:- The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
- Military service2025
- Selective conscriptionmen, up to 18 months; voluntary men and women 18–30, 17–22 for military schools
In 2024, women comprised over 11% of the active military.
Source:- The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
- Nuclear weapons2026
- None - no nuclear arsenal
- Military expenditure:SIPRI Military Expenditure Database ↗ - Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
- Military expenditure:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Military personnel, Military service:The World Factbook: El Salvador - CIA
- Nuclear weapons:Status of World Nuclear Forces ↗ - Federation of American Scientists
