The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in El Salvador
El Salvador: The share and number of people living in extreme poverty was 4.6% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
The share and number of people living in extreme 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
In 2023, the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in El Salvador stood at 4.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.9% on the previous year and down 35.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in El Salvador peaked at 28.9% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 2019.
El Salvador ranks 40th of 120 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.
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 24.8% | — |
| 1991 | 28.9% | +16.9% |
| 1995 | 19.3% | -33.2% |
| 1996 | 21.2% | +10.0% |
| 1998 | 26.3% | +24.0% |
| 1999 | 22.4% | -14.9% |
| 2000 | 18.4% | -17.8% |
| 2001 | 19.4% | +5.2% |
| 2002 | 19.5% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 20.9% | +7.2% |
| 2004 | 16.3% | -22.1% |
| 2005 | 16.4% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 12.6% | -23.2% |
| 2007 | 9.2% | -27.2% |
| 2008 | 12.6% | +37.4% |
| 2009 | 12.4% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 11.4% | -8.1% |
| 2011 | 10.1% | -11.2% |
| 2012 | 8.5% | -15.3% |
| 2013 | 7.1% | -16.4% |
| 2014 | 7.0% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 5.3% | -23.8% |
| 2016 | 5.8% | +8.9% |
| 2017 | 4.6% | -21.2% |
| 2018 | 4.1% | -10.6% |
| 2019 | 3.0% | -26.6% |
| 2021 | 5.1% | +71.9% |
| 2022 | 5.2% | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 4.6% | -10.9% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 4.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.6%, 2.9× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 4.6% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3.1%, 1.5× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 24.8% | 24.8% | 24.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 23.7% | 19.3% | 28.9% | 5 |
| 2000s | 15.8% | 9.2% | 20.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.7% | 3.0% | 11.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.0% | 4.6% | 5.2% | 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 the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in El Salvador?
- The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in El Salvador was 4.6% in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 28.9% in 1991.
- What is the lowest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 2019.
- How does El Salvador rank for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty?
- El Salvador ranks 40th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is the share and number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.1%. 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 The share and number of people living in extreme 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 $3 per day.