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El Salvador
El Salvador
Population
6.3M
Rank #111Source: World Bank
Capital
San Salvador
Source: REST Countries
Region
Americas
Latin America & Caribbean
Source: REST Countries
GDP (Nominal)
$35.36B
Rank #106Source: World Bank
Land Area
21.0K km²
Rank #150Source: REST Countries
Life Expectancy
72.099 yrs
Source: World Bank
Historical Trends
Population Trend (5-Year)
Source: World Bank
GDP Trend (5-Year, Nominal USD)
Source: World Bank
Geography
Area: 21,041 km²
Landlocked: No
Independent: Yes
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
Elevation: mean elevation: 442 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m
Natural Hazards: known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanesvolcanism: significant volcanic activity; San Salvador (1,893...
Environmental Issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes
Land Use: agricultural land: 74.7% (2011 est.) forest: 13.6% (2011 est.) other: 11.7% (2011 est.)
Geography Note: smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on the Caribbean Sea
Natural Resources
hydropowergeothermal powerpetroleumarable land
People & Society
Fertility Rate
1.77
Population
6.3M
Ethnic Groups
Mestizo (86.3%)White (12.7%)Amerindian (0.2%)Black (0.1%)other (0.6%)
Religions
Roman Catholic (50%)Protestant (36%)other (2%)none (12%)
Economy
GDP per Capita
$5,579.66
GDP per Capita PPP
13,264.027
(2024)
(2024)
GNI per Capita
5,120
(2024)
(2024)
Gini Index
39.8
(2023)
(2023)
Unemployment
3.261%
(2024)
(2024)
Inflation
0.854%
(2024)
(2024)
Public Debt
105.805%
(2024)
(2024)
Energy
Electricity Access
98.3%
(2023)
(2023)
Renewable Energy
21.9%
(2021)
(2021)
CO₂ Emissions
9.543 Mt
(2024)
(2024)
Energy Intensity
3.26 MJ/$
(2021)
(2021)
Renewable Electricity
95.559%
(2021)
(2021)
Environment
Forest Coverage
27.528% of land
(2023)
(2023)
Communications
Internet Users
67.656%
(2023)
(2023)
Mobile Penetration
179.706%
(2023)
(2023)
Broadband Subscribers
11.627%
(2023)
(2023)
Transportation
Air Transport Freight
27.802 M ton-km
(2023)
(2023)
Container Port Traffic
242,307 TEU
(2022)
(2022)
Airports
25,109
Rail Lines
N/A
Roads Total
N/A
Military
Military Forces
Armed Force of El Salvador (Fuerza Armada de El Salvador, FAES): Army of El Salvador (Ejercito de El Salvador, ES), Navy of El Salvador (Fuerza Naval de El Salvador, FNES), Salvadoran Air Force...
Personnel Strength
the Armed Force of El Salvador (FAES) has approximately 22,000 active troops (18,000 Army; 2,000 Navy; 2,000 Air Force)
Military Expenditure (USD)
$0.43B
Military Expenditure (% of GDP)
1.19%
Military Expenditure History
1.2% of GDP (2019) 1% of GDP (2018) 0.9% of GDP (2017) 0.9% of GDP (2016) 0.95% of GDP (2015)
Deployments
200 Mali (MINUSMA) (2020)
Equipment & Inventories
the FAES is dependent on a mix of imported Cold War-era platforms, largely from the US; since 2000, the FAES has received limited amounts of equipment from Chile, Israel, and the US (2019 est.)
Service Age & Obligation
18 years of age for selective compulsory military service; 16-22 years of age for voluntary male or female service; service obligation is 12 months, with 11 months for officers and NCOs
Education
Pre-Primary Enrollment
65.347%
(2014)
(2014)
Primary Enrollment
89.88%
(2024)
(2024)
Secondary Enrollment
62.143%
(2024)
(2024)
Tertiary Enrollment
32.835%
(2024)
(2024)
Education Spending
3.172% of GDP
(2023)
(2023)
Adult Literacy Rate
89.77%
(2024)
(2024)
Pupil-Teacher Ratio
26.895:1
(2018)
(2018)
Health
Physicians per 1,000
1.616
(2023)
(2023)
Safe Water Access
91.62%
(2024)
(2024)
Safe Drinking Water
Not Available
Under-5 Mortality
10.4 per 1,000
(2023)
(2023)
Maternal Mortality (World Bank)
21.4 per 100,000
(2021)
(2021)
Hospital Beds per 1,000
76.249
(2021)
(2021)
UHC Coverage Index
79
(2023)
(2023)
Measles Immunization
95%
(2024)
(2024)
Social Indicators
Extreme Poverty Rate
4.6%
(2023)
(2023)
Food Insecurity
6.7%
(2023)
(2023)
Youth NEET Rate
6.524%
(2024)
(2024)
Governance
Women in Government
31.667%
(2024)
(2024)
Voice & Accountability
-0.47
(Below Average)
(2023)
(Below Average)
(2023)
Political Stability
0.00
(Above Average)
(2023)
(Above Average)
(2023)
Government Effectiveness
0.05
(Above Average)
(2023)
(Above Average)
(2023)
Regulatory Quality
-0.31
(Below Average)
(2023)
(Below Average)
(2023)
Rule of Law
-0.37
(Below Average)
(2023)
(Below Average)
(2023)
Control of Corruption
-0.56
(Below Average)
(2023)
(Below Average)
(2023)
Government
Government Type
presidential republic
Legal System
civil law system with minor common law influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court
Executive Branch
chief of state: President Nayib Armando BUKELE Ortez (since 1 June 2019); Vice President Felix Augusto Antonio ULLOA Garay (since 1 June 2019); note - the president is both chief of state and head of...
Legislative Branch
description: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (84 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies and a single nationwide constituency by proportional...
Judicial Branch
highest courts: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema de Justicia (consists of 16 judges and 16 substitutes judges organized into Constitutional, Civil, Penal, and Administrative Conflict Chambers) judge...
National Symbols
Flag Description
three equal horizontal bands of cobalt blue (top), white, and cobalt blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a round emblem encircled by the words...
National Symbols
turquoise-browed motmot (bird); national colors: blue, white
National Anthem
name: "Himno Nacional de El Salvador" (National Anthem of El Salvador) lyrics/music: Juan Jose CANAS/Juan ABERLE note: officially adopted 1953, in use since 1879; at 4:20 minutes, the anthem of El...
Safety
Homicide Rate
7.898 per 100,000
(2022)
(2022)
Travel Information
Language(s): Spanish
Currency: USD ($)
Timezone(s): UTC-06:00
Landlocked: No
Independent: Yes
Driving Side: Right
Calling Code: +503
Car Sign: ES
Week Starts: Monday
Photos
1 photo available
Data sources: World Bank, UN Data • Updated daily •Learn about our data