El Salvador
El Salvador is a hidden standout in mobile subscriptions. Ranking #16 with 177, it's an overlooked achiever. Explore more of El Salvador's hidden strengths.
El Salvador is a country in North America with a population of 6.33M and an area of 21,041 km². Life expectancy is 72.1 years.
At a Glance
The numbers that define this country
Population Density
304.519How many people live in each square kilometer of land.
Life Expectancy
72.1 yearsHow many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
GDP Per Capita
$11.7KGDP per person, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) so costs of living are comparable across countries.
GDP Per Capita (PPP)
13.3KGDP per person, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) so costs of living are comparable across countries.
Life Expectancy
72.1 yearsHow many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
Where They Stand Out
Global rankings worth knowing
📡Mobile Subscriptions (%)
177The number of mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people.
💰Government Debt (% GDP)
105.8%How much money the central government owes as a percentage of GDP.
❤️Health Spending (% GDP)
9.8%Total health spending as a percentage of GDP.
👥Population Density
304.519How many people live in each square kilometer of land.
🤝Inequality (Gini)
39.8A measure of income inequality where 0 means everyone earns the same and 100 means one person has everything.
Did You Know?
Facts that catch players off guard
Only ranks #135 in railway length
Railway Length: 12.5
Total railway length from CIA World Factbook.
Only ranks #120 in domestic patents
Domestic Patents: 2.00
How many patent applications are filed by residents each year.
World Bank 2023Ranks #16 globally in mobile subscriptions (%)
Mobile Subscriptions (%): 177
The number of mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people.
World Bank 2023Ranks #17 in government debt (% gdp) (lower is better)
Government Debt (% GDP): 105.8%
How much money the central government owes as a percentage of GDP.
World Bank 2023Has one of the highest rates of inflation rate
Inflation Rate: 0.9%
How much prices increased over the year, based on the cost of everyday goods and services.
World Bank 2023Surprised? See how you stack up.
Play NowHow El Salvador Compares
Country vs continent vs world averages
GDP per Capita
GDP per person, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) so costs of living are comparable across countries.
World Bank 2023Life Expectancy
How many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
World Bank 2023Human Development Index
The Human Development Index (HDI), combining life expectancy, education, and income into a single score from 0 to 1.
Our World in Data 2023Internet Users
The percentage of people who have used the internet in the last 3 months.
World Bank 2023Think you can guess which countries rank higher?
Test Your IntuitionAbout El Salvador
El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war, which cost about 75,000 lives, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms. El Salvador is beset by one of the world's highest homicide rates and pervasive criminal gangs.
- Location
- Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras
- Climate
- tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands
- Terrain
- mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau
- Natural Resources
- hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land
- Natural Hazards
- known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes volcanism: significant volcanic activity; San Salvador (1,893 m), which last erupted in 1917, has the potential to cause major harm to the country's capital, which lies just below the volcano's slopes; San Miguel (2,130 m) is one of the most active volcanoes in the country; other historically active volcanoes include Conchaguita, Ilopango, Izalco, and Santa Ana
- Size Comparison
- about the same size as New Jersey
- Languages
- Spanish (official), Nawat (among some indigenous)
- Religions
- Roman Catholic 43.9%, Protestant 39.6% (Evangelical - unspecified 38.2%, Evangelical - Methodist 1.3%, Evangelical - Baptist 0.1%), none 16.3%, unspecified 0.2% (2023 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- Mestizo 86.3%, White 12.7%, Indigenous 0.2% (includes Lenca, Kakawira, Nahua-Pipil), Black 0.1%, other 0.6% (2007 est.)
- Major Cities
- 1.116 million SAN SALVADOR (capital) (2023)
- Government Type
- presidential republic
- Capital
- San Salvador
- Capital Coordinates
- 13 42 N, 89 12 W
- Capital Timezone
- UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Official Name
- Republic of El Salvador
- Name Origin
- 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
- Independence
- 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
- National Symbols
- turquoise-browed motmot (bird)
- National Anthem
- "Himno Nacional de El Salvador" (National Anthem of El Salvador)
- UNESCO Heritage
- 1 (cultural)
- Overview
- upper-middle-income, dollarized Central American economy; reliant on remittances from US; recent growth linked to infrastructure investment, consumption, and crime reduction; $1.3 billion IMF loan to address fiscal imbalances; Bitcoin adopted as legal tender; persistent poverty and large informal sector
- Industries
- food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals
- Agricultural Products
- sugarcane, maize, milk, chicken, sorghum, beans, oranges, coconuts, eggs, mangoes/guavas (2023)
- Export Partners
- USA 36%, Guatemala 17%, Honduras 15%, Nicaragua 8%, Costa Rica 5% (2023)
- Export Commodities
- garments, plastic products, electrical capacitors, raw sugar, toilet paper (2023)
- Import Partners
- USA 28%, China 15%, Guatemala 11%, Mexico 8%, Honduras 5% (2023)
- Import Commodities
- refined petroleum, natural gas, garments, packaged medicine, plastics (2023)
- Military Forces
- The Armed Forces of El Salvador (La Fuerza Armada de El Salvador, FAES): Army of El Salvador (Ejercito de El Salvador, ES), Naval Force of El Salvador (Fuerza Naval de El Salvador, FNES), Salvadoran Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Salvadoreña, FAS) Ministry of Justice and Public Safety: National Civil Police (Policia Nacional Civil, PNC) (2025)
- Military Service
- 18-30 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (17-22 for military schools); men are subject to selective compulsory military service; service obligation up to 18 months (2025)
- Energy Mix
- fossil fuels: 9.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 19.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 2.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 31% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); geothermal: 24.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); biomass and waste: 14% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Broadcast Media
- multiple privately owned national terrestrial TV networks, supplemented by cable TV networks that carry international channels; hundreds of commercial radio stations and 2 government-owned radio stations; transition to digital transmission was set to begin in 2018, along with adoption of the Japanese-Brazilian Digital Standard (ISDB-T) (2022)
Deep Dive
68 of 87 metricsEvery stat we track, organized by category
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BarbadosShare a Fact
Share something surprising about El Salvador!
How many people live in each square kilometer of land.
Frequently Asked Questions about El Salvador
El Salvador has a population of 6.33M, ranking #111 globally by population.
El Salvador is located in North America. It has an area of 21,041 km².
Life expectancy in El Salvador is 72.1 years, ranking #134 globally.
El Salvador's GDP per capita (PPP) is 13.3K, ranking #125 globally.
El Salvador ranks particularly high in Population Density (#39), Population (#111), Life Expectancy (#134).
El Salvador has an HDI of 0.678, ranking #132 globally. The HDI combines life expectancy, education, and income indicators.
El Salvador has a population density of 304.5 people per km², ranking #39 globally.
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