Geography
Natural resources include hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land.
CIA 2026
Data as of May 5, 2026
El Salvador
North AmericaHidden Gem
El Salvador is an unsung leader in ember solar share. Think you know this overlooked gem?
El Salvador is an unsung leader in ember solar share. Ranking #14 with 20.3, it's an overlooked achiever. Think you know this overlooked gem?
13.8, -88.9 - North America
Area
21K km²
Pop.
6.33M
Stats
127
Reality brief
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.
Short factual summary generated from the same country data used in game rounds.
Core numbers
Stats worth knowing
Fast scan first, deep dive later.
Population Density
304.52 /km²#39globally
How many people live in each square kilometer of land.
Life Expectancy
72.1 years#134globally
How many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
GDP Per Capita
$11,669.08#125globally
GDP per person adjusted for purchasing power in constant 2017 international dollars, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
GDP Per Capita (PPP)
$13,264.03#125globally
GDP per person, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) so costs of living are comparable across countries.
Country briefing
Grounded facts about El Salvador
A quick real-world briefing before you dive deeper into rankings, surprises, and matchups.
Culture
Major languages include Spanish (official), Nawat (among some indigenous).
CIA 2026
Identity
Formal name: Republic of El Salvador.
CIA 2026
Cities
Cities in El Salvador
Browse this country's cities before City Detective asks you to guess.
Top stats
Where They Stand Out
The strongest source-backed stats before the deeper data table.
Mobile Subscriptions (%)
177 per 100 people#16globallyTop stat
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people, from World Bank Open Data.
Government Debt (% GDP)
105.8% of GDP#17globallyTop stat
Central government debt as a share of GDP, from World Bank Open Data.
Health Spending (% GDP)
9.8% of GDP#32globally
Current health expenditure as a share of GDP, from World Bank Open Data.
Inequality (Gini)
39.8#24globally
A measure of income inequality where 0 means everyone earns the same and 100 means one person has everything.
Reality checks
Did You Know?
The stats that tend to surprise players in real rounds.
Only ranks #135 in railway length
#13512.5 kmRailway Length
Total railway length from CIA World Factbook.
Only ranks #120 in domestic patents
#1202.0Domestic Patents
How many patent applications are filed by residents each year.
Keeps inflation rate unusually low
#1920.90%Inflation Rate
How much prices increased over the year, based on the cost of everyday goods and services.
Only ranks #169 in merchant fleet size
#1695.0Merchant Fleet Size
Number of merchant marine ships from the frozen public-domain CIA World Factbook snapshot.
Only ranks #199 in fertility rate
#1991.4 children/womanFertility Rate
The average number of children a woman would have over her lifetime based on current birth rates.
Compared with the region
How El Salvador Compares
Country vs continent vs world averages
El Salvador
North America avg
World avg
GDP per Capita
GDP per person, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) so costs of living are comparable across countries.
- Country
- $13,264.03
- Region avg
- $38,271.63
- World avg
- $31,844.55
El Salvado…$13,264.03
North America$38,271.63
World$31,844.55
-58% below worldWB 2023
Life Expectancy
How many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
- Country
- 72.1 years
- Region avg
- 75.5 years
- World avg
- 73.7 years
El Salvado…72.1 years
North America75.5 years
World73.7 years
-2% below worldWB 2023
Human Development Index
Composite 0-1 index of life expectancy, education, and income, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
- Country
- 0.68
- Region avg
- 0.77
- World avg
- 0.74
El Salvado…0.68
North America0.77
World0.74
-8% below worldOWID 2023
Internet Users
The percentage of people who have used the internet in the last 3 months.
- Country
- 68%
- Region avg
- 76.55%
- World avg
- 70.29%
El Salvado…68%
North America76.55%
World70.29%
-3% below worldWB 2023
Think you can guess which countries rank higher?
Play this countryFactbook notes
About El Salvador
Country briefing
El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839.
Read the full Factbook note
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.
Geography & Climate6 facts
- 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
People & Culture4 facts
- 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 & History10 facts
- 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)
Economy & Trade7 facts
- 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)
Infrastructure & Defense4 facts
- 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)
Source:World Factbook archive 2026
Data vault
Deep Dive
Every tracked stat, grouped for fast scanning.
Technology3 statsBest: #16
Wealth & Economy10 statsBest: #17
Government Debt (% GDP)
FDI Inflows (% GDP)
GDP (Nominal)
High-Tech Exports (%)
GDP Growth Rate
GDP Per Capita
GDP Per Capita (PPP)
Youth Unemployment Rate
Unemployment Rate
Inflation Rate
Society & Equality2 statsBest: #24
Health & Survival9 statsBest: #32
Health Spending (% GDP)
Obesity Rate
Suicide Rate
Doctors (per 1,000)
Life Expectancy
Child Mortality
Infant Mortality
Hospital Beds (per 1,000)
Smoking Rate
Demographics12 statsBest: #39
Population Density
Teen Birth Rate
Urban Population (%)
Youth Population (%)
Population
Elderly Population (%)
Birth Rate
Median Age
Land Area
Death Rate
Dependency Ratio
Fertility Rate
Education & Future6 statsBest: #67
Lifestyle5 statsBest: #70
Military & Defense2 statsBest: #78
Land & Sea4 statsBest: #88
Highest Elevation
2.7K m#88
Coastline Length
307 km#132
Land Border Length
590 km#135
Lowest Elevation
0 m#180
Environment9 statsBest: #99
Renewable Energy (%)
Air Pollution (PM2.5)
Forest Coverage (%)
Total CO2 Emissions
Irrigated Land
240 km²#127
Forest Area
Electricity Access (%)
CO2 Per Capita
Protected Land (%)
Energy1 statsBest: #113
Electric Generating Capacity
2.80M kW#113
Infrastructure3 statsBest: #125
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El Salvador
#39 in Population Density
How many people live in each square kilometer of land.
Top 20% globally
304.52 /km²
Frequently Asked Questions about El Salvador
What is the population of El Salvador?
El Salvador has a population of 6.33M, ranking #111 globally by population.
What continent is El Salvador in?
El Salvador is located in North America. It has an area of 21,041 km².
What is the life expectancy in El Salvador?
Life expectancy in El Salvador is 72.1 years, ranking #134 globally.
What is the GDP per capita of El Salvador?
El Salvador's GDP per capita (PPP) is $13,264.03, ranking #125 globally.
What is El Salvador known for in global statistics?
El Salvador ranks particularly high in Population Density (#39), Population (#111), Life Expectancy (#134).
What is El Salvador's Human Development Index?
El Salvador has an HDI of 0.678, ranking #132 globally. The HDI combines life expectancy, education, and income indicators.
How densely populated is El Salvador?
El Salvador has a population density of 304.5 people per km², ranking #39 globally.