El Salvador vs Mexico: Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median
El Salvador
16.2%
in 2023
Mexico
15.7%
in 2024
El Salvador rank
26th
Mexico rank
28th
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median over time
- El Salvador
- Mexico
How they compare
El Salvador currently reports 16.2% against 15.7% in Mexico, a difference of 0.5%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1989 it was El Salvador ahead.
El Salvador ranks 26th and Mexico ranks 28th of 120 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, El Salvador averaged higher in 4 and Mexico in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | El Salvador | Mexico | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 25.5% | 18.6% | 6.8% | El Salvador |
| 1990s | 24.5% | 22.0% | 2.5% | El Salvador |
| 2000s | 21.0% | 20.4% | 0.6% | El Salvador |
| 2010s | 16.2% | 17.2% | 1.0% | Mexico |
| 2020s | 16.9% | 15.3% | 1.6% | El Salvador |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median, El Salvador or Mexico?
- El Salvador, at 16.2% against 15.7% in Mexico as of 2023.
- What is the difference in relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median between El Salvador and Mexico?
- 0.5%, with El Salvador ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for El Salvador and Mexico?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1989 to 2022.
- How do El Salvador and Mexico rank globally for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median?
- El Salvador ranks 26th and Mexico ranks 28th of 120 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 50% of the median.