Last European coloniser: Spain · Largest religious group: Christians. These are labels that describe the country, not numbers, so they are never compared with other measures. The numbers behind them, such as population shares, are.
El Salvador
Against upper middle income countries, El Salvador ranks 8th of 56 on labour and 49th of 57 on education. Each ranking counts only the countries that report that score, so the totals differ and the two ranks can’t be compared directly. Both compare El Salvador with countries of similar wealth. That is the only kind of ranking that tells you something a ranking by income does not already show.
How it has changed
Every measure El Salvador reports, over all the years it has been published. Pick one. Hover or use the arrow keys to read a year. Gaps in a line are years with no data. They are left open, not filled in.
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Scores by area
Each score averages the measures in one area, such as health. Each measure is first put on a common scale and turned so that higher is always better. Zero is the average country in an average year. One point is a typical gap between countries (a standard deviation), so +1 means about one typical gap above average. These are summaries, not measurements. See how the country scores are built and how the topic scores compare with each other.
| Score | Value | Rank, all countries | Rank, similar income | Mostly income? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governance score 2025 | -0.35 | 115 of 179 | 36 of 51 | moderate +0.53 |
| Health score 2024 | -0.38 | 154 of 193 | 41 of 58 | moderate +0.32 |
| Education score 2024 | +0.37 | 129 of 199 | 49 of 57 | proxy +0.81 |
| Equality score 2023 | +0.03 | 100 of 165 | 35 of 53 | high +0.64 |
| Infrastructure score 2024 | +0.82 | 122 of 210 | 38 of 58 | proxy +0.90 |
| Gender score 2024 | +0.62 | 79 of 186 | 23 of 57 | moderate +0.37 |
| Environment score 2024 | -0.38 | 147 of 213 | 37 of 58 | moderate -0.33 |
| Labour score 2025 | +0.52 | 60 of 195 | 8 of 56 | high +0.79 |
The last column shows how closely each score just tracks national income. The number is its link with GDP per person (the value of everything a country produces, divided by its people), from −1 to +1. A score marked proxy is mostly a measure of how rich the country is. Its rank among all countries says little that GDP per person does not. That is why the rank among similar-income countries sits beside it.
The measures behind them
Every measure reported for El Salvador, grouped by area. Some measures have no agreed better direction, such as population growth, inflation and military spending. They are listed here but left out of every score, since there is no fair way to say which way is better. Some names use technical terms: PPP means adjusted for what money buys in each country, HDI is a United Nations score combining life expectancy, schooling and income, and a Gini indexmeasures how unequally income is shared. Each measure’s own page explains it.
crime
| Conflict deaths | 0 | per 100,000 people | 2025 | higher is worse |
| Armed conflict present | 0 | 1 if any conflict, else 0 | 2025 | higher is worse |
| Homicide rate | 7.9 | per 100,000 population | 2022 | higher is worse |
culture
| Religiously unaffiliated | 11.9% | % of population | 2020 | no agreed direction |
| Christian share | 87.1% | % of population | 2020 | no agreed direction |
| Muslim share | 0.0035% | % of population | 2020 | no agreed direction |
| Single-parent households | 11.7% | % of households | 2014 | no agreed direction |
| One-person households | 8.46% | % of households | 2014 | no agreed direction |
| Women in a union | 50.7% | % of women aged 15-49 | 2021 | no agreed direction |
demography
| Median age | 27 | years | 2023 | no agreed direction |
| Age at childbearing | 27.1 | years | 2023 | no agreed direction |
| Population | 6,365,503 | people | 2025 | no agreed direction |
| Population growth | 0.43% | % per year | 2025 | no agreed direction |
| Urbanization | 75.5% | % of population | 2025 | no agreed direction |
| Population 65+ | 8.31% | % of population | 2025 | no agreed direction |
| Population 0-14 | 24.4% | % of population | 2025 | no agreed direction |
| Fertility rate | 1.77 | births per woman | 2024 | no agreed direction |
| Birth rate | 15.6 | per 1,000 people | 2024 | no agreed direction |
| Net migration | -23,934 | people | 2025 | no agreed direction |
| Migrant share of population | 0.7% | % of population | 2024 | no agreed direction |
economy
| HDI | 0.678 | index, 0 to 1 | 2023 | higher is better |
| Inequality-adjusted HDI | 0.555 | index, 0 to 1 | 2023 | higher is better |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $12,050 | international $ | 2025 | higher is better |
| GNI per capita (PPP) | $11,259 | international $ | 2025 | higher is better |
| GDP per capita (market) | $4,735 | US$ | 2025 | higher is better |
| GDP growth | 3.91% | % per year | 2025 | no agreed direction |
| Inflation | 0.258% | % per year | 2025 | no agreed direction |
| Trade openness | 88.2% | % of GDP | 2025 | no agreed direction |
| FDI inflows | 2.08% | % of GDP | 2025 | no agreed direction |
| Tax revenue | 21.8% | % of GDP | 2024 | no agreed direction |
| Government consumption | 16.4% | % of GDP | 2025 | no agreed direction |
| Government expense | 27.9% | % of GDP | 2023 | no agreed direction |
| Military spending | 1.19% | % of GDP | 2024 | no agreed direction |
| Employment in agriculture | 13.9% | % of employment | 2025 | no agreed direction |
education
| PISA maths | 343 | PISA points | 2022 | higher is better |
| PISA reading | 365 | PISA points | 2022 | higher is better |
| PISA science | 373 | PISA points | 2022 | higher is better |
| Primary completion | 93.7% | % of children | 2025 | higher is better |
| Expected schooling | 11.1 | years | 2023 | higher is better |
| Mean years of schooling | 7.3 | years | 2023 | higher is better |
| Education spending | 3.32% | % of GDP | 2024 | no agreed direction |
| Primary enrollment | 89.9% | % gross | 2024 | higher is better |
| Secondary enrollment | 62.1% | % gross | 2024 | higher is better |
| Tertiary enrollment | 32.8% | % gross | 2024 | higher is better |
| Adult literacy | 89.8% | % of adults | 2024 | higher is better |
| Compulsory schooling | 15 | years | 2025 | no agreed direction |
| Out of school, primary | 8.66% | % of primary-age children | 2024 | higher is worse |
| Pupil-teacher ratio | 26.9 | pupils per teacher | 2018 | higher is worse |
| Researchers | 55.5 | per million people | 2023 | higher is better |
environment
| CO2 per capita | 1.51 | t CO2e per capita | 2024 | higher is worse |
| Forest area | 27.5% | % of land area | 2023 | higher is better |
| Agricultural land | 57.7% | % of land area | 2023 | no agreed direction |
| Protected land | 8.3% | % of land area | 2025 | higher is better |
gender
| Gender Inequality Index | 0.362 | index, 0 to 1 | 2023 | higher is worse |
| Gender Development Index | 0.983 | ratio of women's HDI to men's | 2023 | no agreed direction |
| Women's political empowerment | 0.587 | index (0-1) | 2025 | higher is better |
| Women ministers | 31.3% | % of ministers | 2024 | higher is better |
| Women in parliament | 31.7% | % of seats | 2025 | higher is better |
| Women in management | 39% | % of managers | 2024 | higher is better |
| Married by 18 | 19.7% | % of women aged 20-24 | 2021 | higher is worse |
governance
| Corruption Perceptions Index | 30 | index (0-100, higher = cleaner) | 2024 | higher is better |
| Political rights (FH) | 5 | rating (1-7, 1 = most free) | 2025 | higher is worse |
| Civil liberties (FH) | 4 | rating (1-7, 1 = most free) | 2025 | higher is worse |
| Pre-trial detainee share | 26% | % of prisoners | 2019 | higher is worse |
| Refugees originating | 1,132 | per 100,000 people | 2024 | higher is worse |
| Electoral democracy | 0.321 | index (0-1) | 2025 | higher is better |
| Liberal democracy | 0.09 | index (0-1) | 2025 | higher is better |
| Participatory democracy | 0.159 | index (0-1) | 2025 | higher is better |
| Free and fair elections | 0.307 | index (0-1) | 2025 | higher is better |
| Regime type | 1 | regime category (0-3) | 2025 | higher is better |
| Political corruption | 0.682 | index (0-1) | 2025 | higher is worse |
| Freedom of expression | 0.356 | index (0-1) | 2025 | higher is better |
| Freedom of association | 0.646 | index (0-1) | 2025 | higher is better |
| Political civil liberties | 0.429 | index (0-1) | 2025 | higher is better |
| Civil society participation | 0.407 | index (0-1) | 2025 | higher is better |
| Birth registration | 91.2% | % of children under 5 | 2018 | higher is better |
| Control of corruption | -0.577 | index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5) | 2024 | higher is better |
| Rule of law | -0.713 | index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5) | 2024 | higher is better |
| Government effectiveness | -0.183 | index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5) | 2024 | higher is better |
| Regulatory quality | -0.176 | index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5) | 2024 | higher is better |
| Voice and accountability | -0.788 | index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5) | 2024 | higher is better |
| Political stability | 0.00613 | index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5) | 2024 | higher is better |
health
| Life expectancy | 72.3 | years | 2024 | higher is better |
| Infant mortality | 8.8 | per 1,000 live births | 2024 | higher is worse |
| Under-5 mortality | 10 | per 1,000 live births | 2024 | higher is worse |
| Health spending | 9.29% | % of GDP | 2023 | no agreed direction |
| Suicide rate | 7.63 | per 100,000 | 2021 | higher is worse |
| Hospital beds | 1.21 | per 1,000 people | 2023 | no agreed direction |
| Basic water access | 91.6% | % of population | 2024 | higher is better |
| Basic sanitation | 88% | % of population | 2024 | higher is better |
| Child stunting | 9.4% | % of children under 5 | 2024 | higher is worse |
| Adolescent fertility | 53.5 | births per 1,000 women aged 15-19 | 2024 | higher is worse |
| Maternal mortality | 39 | per 100,000 live births | 2023 | higher is worse |
| Skilled birth attendance | 99.9% | % of births | 2018 | higher is better |
| Alcohol consumption | 3.15 | litres per adult per year | 2020 | no agreed direction |
| Tobacco use | 8.2% | % of adults | 2024 | higher is worse |
| Road traffic deaths | 20.9 | per 100,000 population | 2019 | higher is worse |
| Physicians | 1.62 | per 1,000 people | 2023 | higher is better |
| DTP3 immunisation | 95% | % of children aged 12-23 months | 2024 | higher is better |
| HIV prevalence | 0.4% | % of adults aged 15-49 | 2024 | higher is worse |
| Tuberculosis incidence | 116 | per 100,000 people | 2024 | higher is worse |
| Premature NCD mortality | 12.6% | % probability, ages 30-70 | 2021 | higher is worse |
| Anaemia in women | 14.4% | % of women aged 15-49 | 2023 | higher is worse |
| Out-of-pocket health spending | 32.5% | % of health spending | 2023 | higher is worse |
| Undernourishment | 6.7% | % of population | 2023 | higher is worse |
| Food insecurity | 45.5% | % of population | 2023 | higher is worse |
| Adult obesity | 32.2% | % of adults | 2024 | higher is worse |
| Health coverage index | 79 | index, 0 to 100 | 2023 | higher is better |
inequality
| Gini index | 39.8 | index (0-100) | 2023 | higher is worse |
| Extreme poverty rate | 4.6% | % of population | 2023 | higher is worse |
infrastructure
| Internet users | 66.5% | % of population | 2024 | higher is better |
| Mobile subscriptions | 177 | per 100 people | 2024 | higher is better |
| Electricity access | 98.7% | % of population | 2024 | higher is better |
| Slum share of urban population | 16.5% | % of urban population | 2022 | higher is worse |
| Fixed broadband | 12.5 | per 100 people | 2024 | higher is better |
labor
| Informal employment | 64% | % of employment | 2024 | higher is worse |
| Unemployment | 3.3% | % of labor force | 2025 | higher is worse |
| Female labor participation | 49.1% | % of women 15+ | 2025 | no agreed direction |
| Male labor participation | 77.3% | % of men 15+ | 2025 | no agreed direction |
| Youth not in work or study | 20.5% | % of 15 to 24 year olds | 2024 | higher is worse |
| Vulnerable employment | 30.8% | % of employment | 2025 | higher is worse |
wellbeing
| Life satisfaction | 6.58 | score (0-10) | 2025 | higher is better |
Values are the most recent in 2010–2025, and different measures can come from different years. The year is shown beside each. Nothing here ranks countries by merit. An area score averages whatever measures its publishers happen to collect, and the choice of what to collect is itself a judgement made by someone else. All countries · How the country data works
Countries to compare with El Salvador
Also in Latin America & Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, The, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico (US), Sint Maarten (Dutch part), St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Martin (French part), St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uruguay, Venezuela, RB, Virgin Islands (U.S.).
Also upper middle income, in other regions: Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Cabo Verde, China, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Georgia, Indonesia, Iran, Islamic Rep., Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Fed. Sts., Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Philippines, Samoa, Serbia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, Turkiye, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, and more on the full list of countries.