Population living in slums in El Salvador
El Salvador: Population living in slums was 16.5% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Population living in slums in El Salvador, 2000–2022
Source: Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population living in slums in El Salvador is 16.5%, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 42.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population living in slums in El Salvador peaked at 49.5% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 2000.
El Salvador ranks 84th of 174 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population living in slums in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.9% | — |
| 2002 | 49.5% | +2500.3% |
| 2004 | 49.5% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 46.5% | -6.1% |
| 2008 | 40.5% | -12.9% |
| 2010 | 34.5% | -14.8% |
| 2012 | 28.5% | -17.4% |
| 2014 | 22.5% | -21.1% |
| 2016 | 16.5% | -26.7% |
| 2018 | 16.5% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 16.5% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 16.5% | -0.1% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 16.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.8%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 16.5% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 14.5%, 1.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 37.6% | 1.9% | 49.5% | 5 |
| 2010s | 23.7% | 16.5% | 34.5% | 5 |
| 2020s | 16.5% | 16.5% | 16.5% | 2 |
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 population living in slums in El Salvador?
- Population living in slums in El Salvador was 16.5% in 2022, according to Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
- What is the highest population living in slums recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 49.5% in 2002.
- What is the lowest population living in slums recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 2000.
- How does El Salvador rank for population living in slums?
- El Salvador ranks 84th out of 174 countries with data for 2022.
- Is population living in slums rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), published as part of Population living in slums (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population living in slums is the proportion of the urban population living in slum households. A slum household is defined as a group of individuals living under the same roof lacking one or more of the following conditions: access to improved water, access to improved sanitation, sufficient living area, housing durability, and security of tenure, as adopted in the Millennium Development Goal Target 7.D. The successor, the Sustainable Development Goal 11.1.1, considers inadequate housing (housing affordability) to complement the above definition of slums/informal settlements.