Largest Cities and Towns by Population in El Salvador
89 cities and towns in El Salvador with 5,000 or more inhabitants, ranked by population at the census of May 12, 2007 (by National Office of Statistics and Censuses, El Salvador and Central Reserve Bank of El Salvador).
| Rank | City or Town | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Salvador | 316,090 |
| 2 | Soyapango | 241,403 |
| 3 | Santa Ana | 198,251 |
| 4 | San Miguel | 155,958 |
| 5 | Mejicanos | 140,751 |
| 6 | Apopa | 123,095 |
| 7 | Santa Tecla (Nueva San Salvador) | 108,840 |
| 8 | Delgado | 95,574 |
| 9 | Colón | 91,212 |
| 10 | Ilopango | 88,883 |
| 11 | San Martín | 65,462 |
| 12 | San Marcos | 60,028 |
| 13 | Ahuachapán | 58,386 |
| 14 | San Luis Marionain: Cuscatancingo district | 44,991 |
| 15 | Veracruzin: Tonacatepeque district | 43,806 |
| 16 | Usulután | 43,400 |
| 17 | Sonsonate | 43,171 |
| 18 | Chalchuapa | 43,013 |
| 19 | Zacatecoluca | 41,341 |
| 20 | Cojutepeque | 40,400 |
| 21 | San Vicente | 34,928 |
| 22 | Ayutuxtepeque | 33,569 |
| 23 | Antiguo Cuscatlán | 33,002 |
| 24 | Quezaltepeque | 32,349 |
| 25 | Ciudad Arce | 29,385 |
| 26 | Las Floresin: Tonacatepeque district | 27,316 |
| 27 | Sonzacate | 25,005 |
| 28 | Chanmicoin: San Juan Opico district | 23,952 |
| 29 | Acajutla | 23,637 |
| 30 | Armenia | 22,811 |
| 31 | Ilobasco | 22,394 |
| 32 | Cuscatancingo | 21,409 |
| 33 | Izalco | 19,199 |
| 34 | Aguilares | 19,134 |
| 35 | Metapán | 18,185 |
| 36 | San Antonio del Monte | 17,634 |
| 37 | Zaragoza | 16,945 |
| 38 | La Unión | 16,911 |
| 39 | Nejapa | 16,530 |
| 40 | Nahuizalco | 16,410 |
| 41 | Santo Tomás | 16,167 |
| 42 | Ciudad Realin: San Sebastián Salitrillo district | 15,508 |
| 43 | Sensuntepeque | 15,395 |
| 44 | San Francisco Gotera | 15,307 |
| 45 | Chalatenango | 13,951 |
| 46 | Atiquizaya | 13,674 |
| 47 | Santa Rosa de Lima | 13,640 |
| 48 | Santiago de María | 13,350 |
| 49 | Guazapa | 12,697 |
| 50 | Jiquilisco | 12,581 |
| 51 | El Congo | 12,392 |
| 52 | La Libertad | 11,705 |
| 53 | San Juan Opico (Opico) | 10,671 |
| 54 | El Arenalin: Delgado district | 10,634 |
| 55 | Juayúa | 10,401 |
| 56 | San José Villanueva | 10,126 |
| 57 | Jucuapa | 10,023 |
| 58 | Dolores Apuloin: Ilopango district | 9,499 |
| 59 | Güisquilin: Conchagua district | 8,986 |
| 60 | Berlín | 8,537 |
| 61 | Nueva Concepción | 8,114 |
| 62 | La Esperanzain: Olocuilta district | 7,852 |
| 63 | El Tránsito | 7,612 |
| 64 | Puerto El Triunfo | 7,609 |
| 65 | Santiago Nonualco | 7,385 |
| 66 | Cara Suciain: San Francisco Menéndez district | 7,372 |
| 67 | Santa María | 7,312 |
| 68 | Veracruzin: Ciudad Arce district | 6,938 |
| 69 | Panchimalco | 6,804 |
| 70 | Santiago Texacuangos | 6,565 |
| 71 | Ciudad Barrios | 6,563 |
| 72 | San Sebastián | 6,553 |
| 73 | Coatepeque | 6,395 |
| 74 | Planes de Renderosin: Panchimalco district | 6,322 |
| 75 | El Refugio | 6,045 |
| 76 | Candelaria de la Frontera | 6,039 |
| 77 | San Luis La Herradura | 6,028 |
| 78 | Olocuilta | 5,924 |
| 79 | Concepción de Ataco | 5,902 |
| 80 | Tonacatepeque | 5,886 |
| 81 | Ateosin: Sacacoyo district | 5,852 |
| 82 | Chinameca | 5,751 |
| 83 | Changalloin: Ilopango district | 5,480 |
| 84 | El Izcaquilioin: Atiquizaya district | 5,369 |
| 85 | Turín | 5,198 |
| 86 | Santa Elena | 5,184 |
| 87 | Nueva Guadalupe | 5,064 |
| 88 | Rosario de Mora | 5,053 |
| 89 | San Rafael Oriente | 4,975 |
Source: National Office of Statistics and Censuses, El Salvador and Central Reserve Bank of El Salvador (2007 census), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff.
Why don't these match official city populations?Official figures typically count only the population within administrative boundaries. UN urban area figures cover the entire built-up area, which can include multiple cities and towns.Show moreShow less
Tokyo
33,338,852
Urban area
9,953,160
23 wards
Essen
2,709,375
Urban area
573,618
City of Essen
Ankara
3,630,865
Urban area
5,186,002
Metropolitan municipality
What counts as an urban area? The UN uses satellite imagery to map built-up land, and treats each continuous stretch of built-up land as an urban area. This means that urban areas can extend beyond official city boundaries, and may include multiple cities and towns within a single urban area.
Can an urban area be smaller than its city? Yes. While most cities have urban areas larger than their administrative boundaries, some cities have extensive administrative limits that include sparsely populated areas.
12 urban areas in El Salvador with 50,000 or more inhabitants, ranked by the UN's population estimates for 2026.
| Rank | Urban Area | Population Estimate (2026) | Yearly Change | Land Area (km²) | Density (P/km²) | World Rank | Projections (2030) | Projections (2050) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Salvador | 1,618,561 | +0.21% | 266 | 6,076 | 308 | 1,632,092 | 1,650,271 |
| 2 | Santa Ana | 215,069 | +0.21% | 37 | 5,813 | 2,783 | 216,850 | 223,987 |
| 3 | Sonsonate | 177,984 | +0.27% | 33 | 5,393 | 3,442 | 179,890 | 183,201 |
| 4 | San Miguel | 166,416 | +0.15% | 32 | 5,201 | 3,680 | 167,434 | 171,687 |
| 5 | Lourdes | 128,199 | +0.25% | 26 | 4,931 | 4,828 | 129,465 | 132,893 |
| 6 | Ahuachapan | 85,347 | +0.61% | 19 | 4,445 | 7,386 | 87,435 | 88,943 |
| 7 | Chalchuapa | 66,053 | +0.23% | 13 | 5,081 | 9,510 | 66,667 | 67,514 |
| 8 | Usulután | 64,492 | +0.21% | 15 | 4,299 | 9,739 | 65,038 | 65,732 |
| 9 | Zacatecoluca | 61,681 | +0.21% | 11 | 5,607 | 10,180 | 62,199 | 62,935 |
| 10 | Cojutepeque | 55,268 | +0.21% | 10 | 5,527 | 11,278 | 55,736 | 56,387 |
| 11 | Quezaltepeque | 54,976 | +0.20% | 9.00 | 6,108 | 11,320 | 55,424 | 56,034 |
| 12 | Ciudad Arce | 54,060 | +0.37% | 14 | 3,861 | 11,523 | 54,855 | 56,256 |
Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision, Online Edition.