El Salvador — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of El Salvador: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
El Salvador is in Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras. It covers 21,041 sq km. Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau. Climate: tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands.
| Capital | San Salvador |
|---|---|
| Population | 6,334,723 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $73.961 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $11,700 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 2.6% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 0.9% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 2.9% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 102.2% of GDP (2023 est.) |
| Exports | $11.586 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $18.354 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 75.9 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 31.2 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 75.4% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Independence | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
| Languages | Spanish (official), Nawat (among some indigenous) |
El Salvador’s GDP is $73.961 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $35.365 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 2.6% (2024 est.). See where El Salvador ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
No single event defined Jul–Sep 2026. The country's position is the product of long-cycle forces — geography, trade, neighbours — all of which held steady.
Momentum at zero is not stagnation; it is the accurate record of a quarter without a catalyst.
- What our model rewards: inflation tamed at 0.9%; unemployment near 2.9% — work for whoever wants it
- What drags it down: public debt above 102% of GDP — the budget's ball and chain; fertility of 1.4 children per woman — below replacement, the cradle is emptying
Hydropower, Oil.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 100% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 9.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 19.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 2.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 31% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); geothermal: 24.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 24.421 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 6.4 TWh (2024) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Hydro 35.8%, Solar 17.3%, Oil 7.5%, Wind 1.2% (2024) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 92.5% (2024) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 101.6 gCO2/kWh (2024) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $11.586 billion (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $18.354 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $6.8 billion (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Nayib Bukele — President. President Nayib Armando BUKELE Ortez (since 1 June 2019)
El Salvador maintains 44 embassies and 44 consulates abroad, hosts 31 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, OAS Washington. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 44 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 44 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 31 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, OAS Washington |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, diplomatic & consular networks database, Mar 2026 report (of-country) https://zenodo.org/records/18917562 ; Jan 2026 report (in-city ranking) https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 307 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 27 (registration prefix YS) |
| Major seaports | Acajutla, Acajutla Offshore Terminal, La Union |
| Railways | 12.5 km |
Major airports
El Salvador International Airport Saint Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (SAL) — San Salvador (San Luis Talpa); Ilopango International Airport (ILS) — San Salvador.
Terminals
| Oil terminals | Acajutla offshore terminal |
|---|
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for El Salvador.
Historical timeline of El Salvador
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of El Salvador — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is El Salvador's power score?
El Salvador has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.