Country Profile – El Salvador

Country Profile: El Salvador

Connecting country profiles with data that drives disaster readiness

This section brings together key demographic, geographic, economic, and natural risk indicators that shape the nation’s exposure and vulnerability. These elements paint a comprehensive picture of the country’s baseline conditions, supporting informed decision-making, strategic planning, and targeted action to strengthen resilience across the region.

General Information

Total population (inhabitants): 6,628,702 (2024 est.) (3,456,458 Female and 3,172,244 Male)
Human Development Index (HDI): 0.678 (132 out of 193 countries)
Basic geography: Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras. With a total area of 21,041 sq km and 307 km of coastline. The terrain is mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau (Highest point: 2,730 m and mean elevation: 442 m).

Economic Overview

Real GDP growth (Annual percent change): 2.5 (2025)
GDP and GDP per capita current prices (U.S. dollars): 36.59 billion and 5.74 thousand (2025)
GDP – composition, by sector of origin: agriculture: 4.4%, industry: 22.4% and services: 61% (2024 est.)*
Key indicators of economic vulnerability
- General government gross debt (% of GDP 2025): 87.6

*Figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Risks and Disasters

Natural Disaster History (1980-2024)

Type of disaster	Total Disasters (#)	Total Deaths (Persons)	Total Affected (Persons)	Total Damages (000 USD, Adjusted for Inflation)	Internal Displacements (2008-2024)
Drought	6	0	1,486,610	570,175
Earthquake	8	2,281	2,412,930	7,366,613	6,500
Epidemic	10	510	103,505	0
Extreme temperature	1	1	0	0
Flood	18	688	436,741	2,241,449	68,000
Mass movement (wet)	3	86	525	0	2,000
Storm	22	942	452,641	2,918,743	56,000
Volcanic activity	2	2	65,079	0	2,300
Total	70	4510	4,958,031	13,096,980	134,800

International Risk Indexes – LAC INFORM RISK

The Index for Risk Management (INFORM) for the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region uses a scale of 0–10 to represent the level of risk, where 0 represents the lowest and 10 represents the highest. The Natural column shows the overall index related to natural hazards.

To access an indicator at the global level, please consult this page: INFORM Risk

Earthquake and tsunami
9.6

Flood
3.4

Tropical cyclone
4.6

Eco-Damage and drought
8.7

Epidemics
6.9

Natural
7.3

References

Central Intelligence Agency. (2025). The World Factbook: Countries. The World Factbook. [LINK]

International Monetary Fund. (2025). DataMapper profile. International Monetary Fund. [LINK]

International Monetary Fund. (2025). Gross general government debt data by country. International Monetary Fund. [LINK]

Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. (2024). Displacement Data. IDMC. [LINK]

Joint Research Centre (JRC) — European Commission. (2020). INFORM Subnational Risk: Latin America and Caribbean. INFORM Index. [LINK]

United Nations Development Programme. (2025). Country insights. Human Development Reports. [LINK]

World Bank. (2024). Explore. Climate Change Knowledge Portal. [LINK]

Additional Information

Last Updated: November 2025

Created by: Azucena Ceniceros Gutiérrez