Gini index in El Salvador
El Salvador: Gini index was 39.8 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Gini index in El Salvador, 1989–2023
Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
Analysis
The most recent figure for gini index in El Salvador is 39.8, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 2.6% on the previous year and down 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gini index in El Salvador peaked at 54.4 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 38, in 2017.
That places El Salvador 30th out of 123 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Gini index in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 48.7 | — |
| 1991 | 53.8 | +10.5% |
| 1995 | 49.8 | -7.4% |
| 1996 | 51 | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 54.4 | +6.7% |
| 1999 | 52.1 | -4.2% |
| 2000 | 51.5 | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 51.3 | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 51.9 | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 50.4 | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 47.8 | -5.2% |
| 2005 | 48.5 | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 45.7 | -5.8% |
| 2007 | 45.2 | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 46.9 | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 45.8 | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 43.5 | -5.0% |
| 2011 | 42.3 | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 41.8 | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 43.4 | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 41.6 | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 40.6 | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 40 | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 38 | -5.0% |
| 2018 | 38.6 | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 38.8 | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 39 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 38.8 | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 39.8 | +2.6% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 39.8 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 36.9, 1.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 39.8 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 43.6, 91% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 48.7 | 48.7 | 48.7 | 1 |
| 1990s | 52.22 | 49.8 | 54.4 | 5 |
| 2000s | 48.5 | 45.2 | 51.9 | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.86 | 38 | 43.5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.2 | 38.8 | 39.8 | 3 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More poverty & inequality data for El Salvador
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 7 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.77 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,819 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 20.61 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 20.6% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gini index in El Salvador?
- Gini index in El Salvador was 39.8 in 2023, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
- What is the highest gini index recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 54.4 in 1998.
- What is the lowest gini index recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 38 in 2017.
- How does El Salvador rank for gini index?
- El Salvador ranks 30th out of 123 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gini index rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as part of Gini index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or, in some cases, consumption expenditure) among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Lorenz curve plots the cumulative percentages of total income received against the cumulative number of recipients, starting with the poorest individual or household. The Gini index measures the area between the Lorenz curve and a hypothetical line of absolute equality, expressed as a percentage of the maximum area under the line. Thus a Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality.