Includes El Salvador real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.
Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about El Salvador economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of El Salvador best banks and safest banks are also available.
Basic Information
Government Type: Presidential republic
Capital City: San Salvador
GDP & Economic Information
Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data
| Central Bank | Central Reserve Bank of El Salvador |
|---|---|
| Currency | US dollar (USD) |
| International Reserves |
USD 3.6 billion (2018) International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019 |
| Gross Domestic Product – GDP | USD 26.1 billion (2018, estimate) |
| GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) | Intl$ 53.4 billion (2018, estimate) |
GDP Data
| Real GDP growth |
2007 1.9% 2008 2.1% 2009 -2.1% 2010 2.1% 2011 3.8% 2012 2.8% 2013 2.2% 2014 1.7% 2015 2.4% 2016 2.5% 2017 2.3% 2018* 2.5% *Estimate |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita – current prices | USD 3,923.7 (2018, estimate) |
| GDP per capita – PPP | Intl$ 8,041.2 (2018, estimate) |
| GDP (PPP) – share of world total |
1980 0.08% 1990 0.06% 2000 0.06% 2010 0.05% 2019* 0.04% |
| GDP – composition by sector |
agriculture: 4.9% industry: 24.7% services: 60.3% (2019 estimate) |
| Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) | N/A |
| Inflation |
2015 -0.7% 2016 0.6% 2017 1% 2018* 1.1% 2019* 0.9% *Estimate |
El Salvador
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Inflation & Debt
| Inflation |
2017 2% 2018 2% 2019 1.4% 2015 -0.7% 2016 0.6% 2017 1% 2018* 1.1% 2019* 0.9% *Estimate |
|---|---|
| Government Bond Ratings |
Standard & Poor’s: B- Moody’: B3 Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s |
| Unemployment rate |
2015 6.5% 2016 6.9% 2017 6.8% 2018* 7% 2019* 7% *Estimate |
| Household saving rates | N/A |
| Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) |
2013 64.3% 2014 65.5% 2015 67.3% 2016* 67.1% 2017* 68.3% *Estimate |
| Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) |
2015 -3.5% 2016 -2.9% 2017 -2.4% 2018* -2.5% 2019* -3.1% *Estimate |
| Market value of publicly traded shares |
2016 N/A 2017 N/A 2018 N/A |
| Largest Companies | N/A |
Import/Export
| Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) | 28.9% (2018) |
|---|---|
| Shares in world total merchandising export |
0.03% (2018) |
| Shares in world total commercial services export |
USD 12.7 billion (2018 estimate) |
| Total exports | USD 7.5 billion (2018) |
| Export commodities | Offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, textiles and apparel, ethanol, chemicals, electricity, iron and steel manufactures |
| Total imports |
USD 12.7 billion (2018 estimate) |
| Import commodities | Raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods, fuels, foodstuffs, petroleum, electricity |
| Exports – major partners |
US 45.7%, Honduras 13.9%, Guatemala 13.5%, Nicaragua 6.7%, Costa Rica 4.6% (2017) |
| Imports – major partners |
US 36.7%, Guatemala 10.5%, China 8.7%, Mexico 7.4%, Honduras 6.7% (2017) |
Competitiveness & Trade
| Current account balance | USD -1.2 billion (2018 estimate) |
|---|---|
| Current account balance by percentage of GDP | -4.8 % (2018 estimate) |
| FDI inflows |
2016 USD 347 million 2017 USD 889 million 2018 USD 840 million |
| FDI Outflows |
2016 USD -0.4 million 2017 USD 0.2 million 2018 USD 0.0 million |
| Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser |
2015 USD 5.0 million 2016 N/A 2017 N/A 2018 N/A |
| Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 | N/A |
| Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 | N/A |
| Best countries for doing business |
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm. Overall ranking: 91 out of 190 countries Subcategories: Starting a Business: 148 out of 190 countries Dealing with Construction Permits: 168 out of 190 countries Getting Electricity: 87 out of 190 countries Registering Property: 79 out of 190 countries Getting Credit: 25 out of 190 countries Protecting Minority Investors: 140 out of 190 countries Paying Taxes: 70 out of 190 countries Trading across Borders: 46 out of 190 countries Enforcing Contracts: 126 out of 190 countries Resolving Insolvency: 92 out of 190 countries |
| Global competitiveness ranking | 103 out of 141 countries (2019) |
| Index of Economic Freedom |
103 out of 141 countries (100=totally free 0=totally repressed) |
Population & Geographic Data
| Total Area |
21,041 sq km |
|---|---|
| Total Population |
1990 5.25 Million 2000 5.87 Million 2010 6.19 Million 2015 6.46 Million 2020 6.77 Million |
| Urban population as % of total population |
1960 38.4% 1980 44.1% 2000 58.9% 2020 72% |
| Population median age |
27.6 years CIA World Factbook / Population median age |
| Population growth rate | 0.25% (2018 estimate) |
| Life expectancy | 75.1 years (2018 estimate) |
| % of population living on less than $3.10 a day | 8.5% (last available estimate, 2017) |
| Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) |
30.8 (last available estimate, 2019) (0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality) World Bank / Gini Index 38 (last available estimate, 2017) (0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality) |
| Freedom House rating |
Free Political Rights: 2 Civil Liberties: 3 (2019) (1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating) |
| Total telephone subscribers as % of population |
Fixed: 13.7% Mobile: 146.9% (2018) (fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers) |
| Internet users as % of total population | 33.82 % (2017) |
Language & Religon
| Languages | Spanish (official), Nawat (among some Amerindians) |
|---|---|
| Literacy |
Total population: 88.1% Male: 90.3% Female: 86.3% Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2016 est.) |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 36%, other 2%, none 12% (2014 est.) |
World Rankings
| Population | 6.77 million |
|---|---|
| Mercer Cost of living index | San Salvador: 166th (2019) |
| C02 Emissions per capita | 1 metric tons per capita (2014) |
Global Finance Rankings & Awards: El Salvador
Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.
Data Sources:
IMF World Economic Outlook
UN World Population Prospects
World Inequality Report
S&P Global Ratings
Moody’s
Fitch Ratings
IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
CIA The World Factbook
World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution
Forbes Global 2000