El Salvador vs Nicaragua: Number of people living in extreme poverty
El Salvador
292,567 people
in 2023
Nicaragua
398,591 people
in 2014
El Salvador rank
56th
Nicaragua rank
54th
Number of people living in extreme poverty over time
- El Salvador
- Nicaragua
How they compare
Nicaragua currently reports 398,591 people against 292,567 people in El Salvador, a difference of 106,024 people.
That makes Nicaragua's figure about 1.4 times El Salvador's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 5 shared years of data; in 1998 it was Nicaragua ahead.
El Salvador ranks 56th and Nicaragua ranks 54th of 120 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, El Salvador averaged higher in 1 and Nicaragua in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | El Salvador | Nicaragua | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.55 million people | 1.70 million people | 147,400 people | Nicaragua |
| 2000s | 963,998 people | 1.00 million people | 38,340 people | Nicaragua |
| 2010s | 428,531 people | 398,591 people | 29,940 people | El Salvador |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people living in extreme poverty, El Salvador or Nicaragua?
- Nicaragua, at 398,591 people against 292,567 people in El Salvador as of 2014.
- What is the difference in number of people living in extreme poverty between El Salvador and Nicaragua?
- 106,024 people, with Nicaragua ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for El Salvador and Nicaragua?
- 5 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2014.
- How do El Salvador and Nicaragua rank globally for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- El Salvador ranks 56th and Nicaragua ranks 54th 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 Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.