El Salvador

presidential republic

name: San Salvador geographic coordinates: 13 42 N, 89 12 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: Spanish colonists founded the city in 1526 on the feast day of the Transfiguration of the Savior (Jesus Christ), and the name means "Holy Savior" in Spanish

chief of state: President Nayib Armando BUKELE Ortez (since 1 June 2019) head of government: President Nayib Armando BUKELE Ortez (since 1 June 2019) cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president election/appointment process: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute-majority popular vote for a 6-year term (no term limits) most recent election date: 4 February 2024 election results: 2024: Nayib Armando BUKELE Ortez reelected president - Nayib Armando BUKELE Ortez (Nuevas Ideas) 84.7%, Manuel FLORES (FMLN) 6.4%, Joel SANCHEZ (ARENA) 5.6%, Luis PARADA (NT) 2%, other 1.3% 2019: Nayib Armando BUKELE Ortez elected president - Nayib Armando BUKELE Ortez (GANA) 53.1%, Carlos CALLEJA Hakker (ARENA) 31.7%, Hugo MARTINEZ (FMLN) 14.4%, other 0.8% expected date of next election: 28 February 2027; note - on 31 July 2025, the Legislative Assembly voted to move the date of the next presidential election from 2029 to 2027 to bring the presidential election cycle in line with the three-year legislative and municipal election cycle note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

legislature name: Legislative Assembly (Asamblea legislativa) legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 60 (all directly elected) electoral system: proportional representation scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 3 years most recent election date: 2/4/2024 parties elected and seats per party: New Ideas (N) (54); Other (6) percentage of women in chamber: 31.7% expected date of next election: February 2027

highest court(s): Supreme Court or Corte Suprema de Justicia (consists of 15 judges, including its president, and 15 substitute judges organized into Constitutional, Civil, Penal, and Administrative Conflict Chambers) judge selection and term of office: judges elected by the Legislative Assembly on the recommendation of both the National Council of the Judicature, an independent body elected by the Legislative Assembly, and the Bar Association; judges elected for 9-year terms, with renewal of one third of membership every 3 years; consecutive reelection is allowed subordinate courts: Appellate Courts; Courts of First Instance; Courts of Peace

history: many previous; latest drafted 16 December 1983, enacted 23 December 1983 amendment process: proposals require agreement by absolute majority of the Legislative Assembly membership; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly; constitutional articles on basic principles, and citizen rights and freedoms cannot be amended

ACS, BCIE, CACM, CD, CELAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, Petrocaribe, SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

1.2% of GDP (2024 est.) 1.2% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.3% of GDP (2022 est.) 1.2% of GDP (2021 est.) 1.4% of GDP (2020 est.)

The Armed Forces of El Salvador (La Fuerza Armada de El Salvador, FAES): Army of El Salvador (Ejercito de El Salvador, ES), Naval Force of El Salvador (Fuerza Naval de El Salvador, FNES), Salvadoran Air Force (Fuerza A rea Salvadore a, FAS) Ministry of Justice and Public Safety: National Civil Police (Policia Nacional Civil, PNC) (2025)

18-30 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (17-22 for military schools); men are subject to selective compulsory military service; service obligation up to 18 months (2025) note: in 2024, women comprised over 11% of the active military

the Armed Force of El Salvador (FAES) is responsible for defending national sovereignty and ensuring territorial integrity but also has considerable domestic security responsibilities; while the National Civil Police (PNC) are responsible for maintaining public security, the country s constitution allows the president to use the FAES in exceptional circumstances to maintain internal peace and public security; in 2016, the government created a special joint unit of Army commandos and police to fight criminal gangs; more military personnel were devoted to internal security beginning in 2019 when President BUKELE signed a decree authorizing military involvement in police duties to combat rising gang violence, organized crime, and narcotics trafficking, as well as assisting with border security the military led the country for much of the 20th century; from 1980 to 1992, it fought a bloody civil war against guerrillas from the Farabundo Mart National Liberation Front or FMLN, the paramilitary arm of the Democratic Revolutionary Front (Frente Democr tico Revolucionario), a coalition of left-wing dissident political groups backed by Cuba and the Soviet Union; the FAES received considerable US support during the conflict; significant human rights violations occurred during the war and approximately 75,000 Salvadorans, mostly civilians, were killed (2025)

$73.961 billion (2024 est.) $72.085 billion (2023 est.) $69.621 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$11,700 (2024 est.) $11,400 (2023 est.) $11,100 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

2.6% (2024 est.) 3.5% (2023 est.) 3% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

0.9% (2024 est.) 4% (2023 est.) 7.2% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

102.2% of GDP (2023 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP

$11.586 billion (2024 est.) $10.629 billion (2023 est.) $10.164 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$18.354 billion (2024 est.) $17.034 billion (2023 est.) $18.181 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

2.9% (2024 est.) 3% (2023 est.) 3% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $9.359 billion (2023 est.) expenditures: $10.313 billion (2023 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals

sugarcane, maize, milk, chicken, sorghum, beans, oranges, coconuts, eggs, mangoes/guavas (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 6,334,723 (2025 est.) male: 3,026,645 female: 3,308,078

0.34% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 25.3% (male 855,841/female 818,642) 15-64 years: 66.3% (male 2,077,745/female 2,317,416) 65 years and over: 8.4% (2024 est.) (male 238,658/female 320,400)

12.46 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

5.93 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-3.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 75.9 years (2024 est.) male: 72.4 years female: 79.5 years

urban population: 75.4% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.33% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Mestizo 86.3%, White 12.7%, Indigenous 0.2% (includes Lenca, Kakawira, Nahua-Pipil), Black 0.1%, other 0.6% (2007 est.)

Spanish (official), Nawat (among some indigenous) major-language sample(s): La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de informaci n b sica. (Spanish) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Roman Catholic 43.9%, Protestant 39.6% (Evangelical - unspecified 38.2%, Evangelical - Methodist 1.3%, Evangelical - Baptist 0.1%), none 16.3%, unspecified 0.2% (2023 est.)

total population: 89.8% (2024 est.) male: 91.6% (2024 est.) female: 88.2% (2024 est.)

hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land

La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

USG identification: major illicit drug-producing and/or drug-transit country major precursor-chemical producer (2025)

refugees: 392 (2024 est.) IDPs: 35,391 (2024 est.)

27 (2025)

total: 12.5 km (2014) narrow gauge: 12.5 km (2014) 0.914-mm gauge

total: 5 (2023) by type: other 5

total subscriptions: 11.2 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 177 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 68% (2023 est.)