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North America / Central America · Card 016

El Salvador

El Salvador is a country in Central America. Its capital is San Salvador.

Find El Salvador

San SalvadorEl SalvadorHondurasGuatemala
● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.

At a glance

Capital
San Salvador
Languages
Spanish
Currency
United States dollar (USD)
Population
6.4 million2025 · World Bank
Area
21,041 km²8,123.97 square miles
Independence
1821from Spain

El Salvador in context

North America and its surrounding regions. The dot marks San Salvador; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.

Natural Earth · locator map

Geography & languages

01

Physical geography

Mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau.

02

Languages

Languages used in public life include Spanish.

03

Location

Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras.

Flag

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 has a round emblem with the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL around it

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · IMF · currency reforms

History & independence

El Salvador declared independence from Spain in 1821 and later separated from the Central American federation. Economic inequality and political conflict contributed to a civil war from 1980 to 1992. The 1992 peace accords ended the war and introduced military and political reforms.

  1. Independence from Spain

  2. Peace accords end the civil war

  3. Dollarization begins

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · IMF · currency reforms

Economy

Main activities

Manufacturing, especially textiles and clothing, trade and other services are important. Remittances support household spending. The US dollar is the main currency in use; reforms in 2025 made private acceptance of Bitcoin voluntary.

Industry and production

Clothing and textile manufacture, food processing, trade and business services are important activities.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · IMF · currency reforms

Population & economic trends

Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.

Population, 1970–2025

Millions of people
6.42025 · millions of people
0.003.57.03.719704.519805.419905.920006.120106.220206.42025

Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.

Sources: World Bank · Population

View data table
Population: source values and plotted units
Year People Millions of people
1970 3,668,796 3.669
1980 4,540,382 4.540
1990 5,399,726 5.400
2000 5,943,366 5.943
2010 6,068,249 6.068
2020 6,234,673 6.235
2025 6,365,503 6.366

Real GDP, 1990–2025

Billions of constant 2015 US dollars
30.12025 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars
0.0020.040.019902000201020202025

Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.

Sources: World Bank · Real GDP

View data table
Real GDP: source values and plotted units
Year Constant 2015 US$ Billions of constant 2015 US dollars
1990 12,679,661,441 12.680
1991 12,869,106,686 12.869
1992 13,772,770,637 13.773
1993 14,574,113,893 14.574
1994 15,257,940,313 15.258
1995 15,980,263,628 15.980
1996 16,109,937,379 16.110
1997 16,615,462,392 16.615
1998 17,056,150,529 17.056
1999 17,424,910,258 17.425
2000 17,621,447,036 17.621
2001 17,776,447,691 17.776
2002 18,056,056,716 18.056
2003 18,338,704,970 18.339
2004 18,501,810,235 18.502
2005 18,997,812,331 18.998
2006 19,821,747,187 19.822
2007 20,187,974,225 20.188
2008 20,622,904,544 20.623
2009 20,188,015,255 20.188
2010 20,622,904,544 20.623
2011 21,407,994,006 21.408
2012 22,012,261,123 22.012
2013 22,504,372,601 22.504
2014 22,888,906,230 22.889
2015 23,438,240,000 23.438
2016 24,033,351,542 24.033
2017 24,573,529,737 24.574
2018 25,166,352,436 25.166
2019 25,779,775,127 25.780
2020 23,744,951,346 23.745
2021 26,571,731,219 26.572
2022 27,356,820,682 27.357
2023 28,274,665,875 28.275
2024 29,007,110,834 29.007
2025 30,140,111,728 30.140

Human development

The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.

HDI · 20230.678Medium human developmentRank 132 of 193 · 2025 report

Human Development Index over time

19900.523
20000.607
20100.660
20200.660
20230.678
72.1 yearsLife expectancy at birth
7.3 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+

The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.

Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025

Government

A presidential republic with an elected President and a single-chamber Legislative Assembly. The judiciary forms a separate constitutional branch.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · IMF · currency reforms

Knowledge check

Three questions about El Salvador.

QUESTION 1 OF 3

In which year did this event occur in El Salvador: Dollarization begins?

Sources & notes

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · IMF · currency reforms

Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.

Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.

San SalvadorEl SalvadorHondurasGuatemala