Poverty gap index at $3 a day in El Salvador
El Salvador: Poverty gap index at $3 a day was 1.7% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Poverty gap index at $3 a day in El Salvador, 1989–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, poverty gap index at $3 a day in El Salvador stood at 1.7%.
The figure is down 11.5% on the previous year and down 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty gap index at $3 a day in El Salvador peaked at 13.9% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2019.
That places El Salvador 35th out of 120 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Poverty gap index at $3 a day in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 12.9% | — |
| 1991 | 13.8% | +6.8% |
| 1995 | 8.0% | -42.2% |
| 1996 | 8.9% | +11.6% |
| 1998 | 13.9% | +57.1% |
| 1999 | 11.3% | -18.9% |
| 2000 | 7.7% | -32.3% |
| 2001 | 8.6% | +12.1% |
| 2002 | 8.8% | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 10.1% | +14.8% |
| 2004 | 7.0% | -30.6% |
| 2005 | 6.4% | -8.6% |
| 2006 | 3.9% | -38.5% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | -34.8% |
| 2008 | 3.8% | +49.3% |
| 2009 | 3.7% | -3.4% |
| 2010 | 3.2% | -14.1% |
| 2011 | 2.7% | -16.0% |
| 2012 | 2.3% | -13.9% |
| 2013 | 1.9% | -19.8% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | -6.7% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | -32.0% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | +16.8% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | -20.1% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | -14.0% |
| 2019 | 0.7% | -26.2% |
| 2021 | 2.0% | +194.6% |
| 2022 | 2.0% | -4.0% |
| 2023 | 1.7% | -11.5% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 1.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.4%, 4.2× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 1.7% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.9%, 1.9× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Poverty gap index at $3 a day in El Salvador changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +194.6% | 0.7% | 2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 12.9% | 12.9% | 12.9% | 1 |
| 1990s | 11.2% | 8.0% | 13.9% | 5 |
| 2000s | 6.3% | 2.6% | 10.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.7% | 0.7% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More poverty & inequality data for El Salvador
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 7 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ 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 poverty gap index at $3 a day in El Salvador?
- Poverty gap index at $3 a day in El Salvador was 1.7% in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest poverty gap index at $3 a day recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 13.9% in 1998.
- What is the lowest poverty gap index at $3 a day recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2019.
- How does El Salvador rank for poverty gap index at $3 a day?
- El Salvador ranks 35th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is poverty gap index at $3 a day rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Poverty gap index at $3 a day. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The poverty gap index is a poverty measure that reflects both the prevalence and the depth of poverty. It is calculated as the share of population in poverty multiplied by the average shortfall from the poverty line (expressed as a % of the poverty line).