Demographics & population — El Salvador
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Demographics & population at a glance
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators. Key figure for El Salvador: 6,628,702
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Population overview
- Population
6,628,702
- Population Growth Rate
0.34%
- Population Distribution
- athough it is the smallest country in land area in Central America, El Salvador has a population that is 18 times larger than Belize
- at least 20% of the population lives abroad
- high population density country-wide, with particular concentration around the capital of San Salvador
- Urban Population
- urban population: 75.4%
- of total population rate of urbanization: 1.33% annual rate of change
- Population in Major Urban Areas
1.116 million SAN SALVADOR (capital)
- Population: Male/Female
- male: 3,172,244
- female: 3,456,458
Age & family
- Age Structure
- 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% (male 238,658/female 320,400)
- Median Age
- total: 29.7
- years male: 28.2
- years female: 31.2 years
- Birth Rate - births/1,000 population
17
- Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population
5.9
- Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman
2.02
- Gross reproduction rate
1
- Child Marriage
- women married by age 15: 4.3%
- women married by age 18: 19.7%
- Contraceptive Prevalance Rate - female 12-49
71.9%
- Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 12-49
71.9%
- Currently married women (ages 15-49)
55%
- Mean Age for Mother's First Birth (age 25-49)
20.8
- Mother's mean age at first birth
20.8
- Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female
- at birth: 1.05
- male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.05
- male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9
- male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74
- male(s)/female total population: 0.92 male(s)/female
Migration
- Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population
-7.7
- Demographic profile
El Salvador is the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America. It is well into its demographic transition, experiencing slower population growth, a decline in its number of youths, and the gradual aging of its population. The increased use of family planning has substantially lowered El Salvador's fertility rate, from approximately 6 children per woman in the 1970s to replacement level today. A 2008 national family planning survey showed that female sterilization remained the most common contraception method in El Salvador - its sterilization rate is among the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean - but that the use of injectable contraceptives is growing. Fertility differences between rich and poor and urban and rural women are narrowing. Salvadorans fled during the 1979 to 1992 civil war mainly to the United States but also to Canada and to neighboring Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Emigration to the United States increased again in the 1990s and 2000s as a result of deteriorating economic conditions, natural disasters (Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and earthquakes in 2001), and family reunification. At least 20% of El Salvador's population lives abroad. The remittances they send home account for close to 20% of GDP, are the second largest source of external income after exports, and have helped reduce poverty.
Ethnicity & language
- Ethnic Groups
Mestizo 86.3%, White 12.7%, Indigenous 0.2% (includes Lenca, Kakawira, Nahua-Pipil), Black 0.1%, other 0.6%
- Language Note
Spanish (official), Nawat (among some Indigenous)
- Nationality Noun
- Salvadoran(s) adjective: Salvadoran
Education
- Literacy - total population
89.1%
- Literacy - male
91.3%
- Literacy - female
87.3%
- Literacy Definition
age 15 and over can read and write
- Education Expenditures - percent of GDP
4.1%
- Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary)
- total: 12
- years male: 12
- years female: 12 years
Health & living conditions
- Life Expectancy at Birth
- total population: 75.9
- years male: 72.4
- years female: 79.5 years
- Infant Mortality Rate
- total: 11.7 deaths/1,000
- live births male: 13.3 deaths/1,000
- live births female: 10 deaths/1,000 live births
- Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births
- total: 11.7 deaths/1,000
- live births male: 13.3 deaths/1,000
- live births female: 10 deaths/1,000 live births
- Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births
43
- Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population
2.87
- Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population
1.2
- Health Expenditures - percent of GDP
9.9%
- Major Infectious Diseases - degree of risk
- bacterial and protozoal diarrhea vectorborne diseases: dengue fever
- Obesity - adult prevalence rate
24.624%
- Tobacco Use
- total: 7.9%
- male: 14.1%
- female: 1.7%
- Alcohol consumption per capita
- total: 2.94
- liters of pure alcohol beer: 1.5
- liters of pure alcohol wine: 0.06
- liters of pure alcohol spirits: 1.37
- liters of pure alcohol other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol
- Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved
- urban: 99.6%
- of population rural: 94.2%
- of population total: 98.2%
- urban: 0.4%
- of population rural: 5.8%
- of population total: 1.8% of population
- Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved
- urban: 100%
- of population rural: 97.1%
- of population total: 99.2%
- urban: 0%
- of population rural: 2.9%
- of population total: 0.8% of population
- Underweight - percent of children under five years
5%