Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median in El Salvador
El Salvador: Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median was 10.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median in El Salvador, 1989–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
El Salvador recorded 10.6% for relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.9% on the previous year and up 9.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median in El Salvador peaked at 21.9% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 8.2%, in 2019.
El Salvador ranks 22nd of 120 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 20.5% | — |
| 1991 | 18.8% | -8.2% |
| 1995 | 15.1% | -20.0% |
| 1996 | 16.3% | +8.6% |
| 1998 | 21.9% | +34.0% |
| 1999 | 19.1% | -12.9% |
| 2000 | 17.7% | -7.0% |
| 2001 | 17.6% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 18.0% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 18.8% | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 15.2% | -19.0% |
| 2005 | 15.5% | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 12.2% | -21.5% |
| 2007 | 10.0% | -17.4% |
| 2008 | 12.0% | +19.0% |
| 2009 | 12.0% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 11.6% | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 9.9% | -14.4% |
| 2012 | 9.5% | -4.3% |
| 2013 | 9.7% | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 9.4% | -3.5% |
| 2015 | 8.3% | -11.9% |
| 2016 | 9.7% | +17.3% |
| 2017 | 8.5% | -12.7% |
| 2018 | 9.2% | +9.1% |
| 2019 | 8.2% | -10.6% |
| 2021 | 11.1% | +34.3% |
| 2022 | 11.0% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 10.6% | -2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 20.5% | 20.5% | 20.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 18.2% | 15.1% | 21.9% | 5 |
| 2000s | 14.9% | 10.0% | 18.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.4% | 8.2% | 11.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.9% | 10.6% | 11.1% | 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 relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median in El Salvador?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median in El Salvador was 10.6% in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 21.9% in 1998.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.2% in 2019.
- How does El Salvador rank for relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median?
- El Salvador ranks 22nd out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.6%. 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 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 40% of the median.