Share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in El Salvador
El Salvador: Share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share was 8.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty 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 8.6% for share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty in 2023.
The figure is down 10.6% on the previous year and down 46.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty in El Salvador peaked at 41.4% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 7.7%, in 2019.
That places El Salvador 46th out of 120 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 34.6% | — |
| 1991 | 41.4% | +19.9% |
| 1995 | 31.7% | -23.5% |
| 1996 | 33.3% | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 36.2% | +8.5% |
| 1999 | 32.6% | -9.8% |
| 2000 | 27.7% | -14.9% |
| 2001 | 29.6% | +6.7% |
| 2002 | 29.6% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 29.9% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 25.9% | -13.3% |
| 2005 | 26.1% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 23.0% | -12.0% |
| 2007 | 18.9% | -17.6% |
| 2008 | 23.5% | +24.5% |
| 2009 | 22.9% | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 22.1% | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 20.7% | -6.1% |
| 2012 | 18.0% | -13.4% |
| 2013 | 16.2% | -9.8% |
| 2014 | 15.6% | -3.8% |
| 2015 | 13.0% | -16.4% |
| 2016 | 13.5% | +3.9% |
| 2017 | 11.1% | -17.7% |
| 2018 | 10.2% | -8.2% |
| 2019 | 7.7% | -24.3% |
| 2021 | 9.8% | +26.8% |
| 2022 | 9.6% | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 8.6% | -10.6% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 8.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.2%, 2.1× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 8.6% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 6.5%, 1.3× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 34.6% | 34.6% | 34.6% | 1 |
| 1990s | 35.0% | 31.7% | 41.4% | 5 |
| 2000s | 25.7% | 18.9% | 29.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.8% | 7.7% | 22.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.3% | 8.6% | 9.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More poverty & inequality data for El Salvador
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 7 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ 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 share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty in El Salvador?
- Share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty in El Salvador was 8.6% in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 41.4% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.7% in 2019.
- How does El Salvador rank for share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty?
- El Salvador ranks 46th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 46.9%. 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 Share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty. 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 $4.20 per day.