In 2023, the share of population living on less than 3.20 U.S. dollars per day in El Salvador was 8.6 percent. Between 1989 and 2023, the figure dropped by 26 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) in El Salvador was reported at 26.6 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. El Salvador - Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty line (% of population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

Historical dataset showing El Salvador poverty rate by year from 1989 to 2023.

El Salvador Poverty Headcount Ratio at Societal Poverty Lines: % of Population data was reported at 23.900 % in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 24.700 % for 2021. El Salvador Poverty Headcount Ratio at Societal Poverty Lines: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 29.700 % from Dec 1989 (Median) to 2022, with 28 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 37.400 % in 1991 and a record low of 23.000 % in 2019. El Salvador Poverty Headcount Ratio at Societal Poverty Lines: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s El Salvador – Table SV.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. The poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Societal Poverty Line. The Societal Poverty Line is expressed in purchasing power adjusted 2017 U.S. dollars and defined as max($2.15, $1.15 + 0.5*Median). This means that when the national median is sufficiently low, the Societal Poverty line is equivalent to the extreme poverty line, $2.15. For countries with a sufficiently high national median, the Societal Poverty Line grows as countries’ median income grows.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

This statistic shows the poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in El Salvador from 2009 to 2019. In 2019, the poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in El Salvador amounted to 22.8 percent of the population.

8.60 (%) in 2023. Population below $3.1 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $3.1 a day at 2005 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

As of 2023 in El Salvador, the share of the population living in extreme poverty conditions was higher in rural areas accounting for the **** percent of the people. The national average was *** percent.

SV: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $5.50 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data was reported at 30.700 % in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 31.800 % for 2015. SV: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $5.50 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 44.600 % from Dec 1989 (Median) to 2016, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 60.100 % in 1991 and a record low of 30.700 % in 2016. SV: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $5.50 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s El Salvador – Table SV.World Bank: Poverty. Poverty headcount ratio at $5.50 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $5.50 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.; ; World Bank, Development Research Group. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/index.htm).; ; The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than one thousand six hundred household surveys across 164 countries in six regions and 25 other high income countries (industrialized economies). While income distribution data are published for all countries with data available, poverty data are published for low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia) only. The aggregated numbers for low- and middle-income countries correspond to the totals of 6 regions in PovcalNet, which include low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia). See PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/WhatIsNew.aspx) for definitions of geographical regions and industrialized countries.

Urban poverty rate of El Salvador surged by 8.78% from 26.2 % in 2013 to 28.5 % in 2014. Since the 15.54% drop in 2012, urban poverty rate reduced by 4.68% in 2014. Urban poverty rate is the percentage of the urban population living below the national urban poverty line.

El Salvador SV: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: Rural: % of Rural Population data was reported at 37.900 % in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 36.000 % for 2013. El Salvador SV: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: Rural: % of Rural Population data is updated yearly, averaging 43.250 % from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2014, with 10 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 50.200 % in 2011 and a record low of 35.800 % in 2006. El Salvador SV: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: Rural: % of Rural Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s El Salvador – Table SV.World Bank.WDI: Poverty. Rural poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the rural population living below the national poverty lines.; ; World Bank, Global Poverty Working Group. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. country–specific) poverty lines.; ; This series only includes estimates that to the best of our knowledge are reasonably comparable over time for a country. Due to differences in estimation methodologies and poverty lines, estimates should not be compared across countries.

Rural poverty rate of El Salvador jumped by 5.28% from 36.0 % in 2013 to 37.9 % in 2014. Since the 13.75% slump in 2012, rural poverty rate slumped by 12.47% in 2014. Rural poverty rate is the percentage of the rural population living below the national rural poverty line.

El Salvador SV: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.20 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data was reported at 10.300 % in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 9.900 % for 2015. El Salvador SV: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.20 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 22.500 % from Dec 1989 (Median) to 2016, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 36.500 % in 1991 and a record low of 9.900 % in 2015. El Salvador SV: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.20 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s El Salvador – Table SV.World Bank.WDI: Poverty. Poverty headcount ratio at $3.20 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $3.20 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.; ; World Bank, Development Research Group. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/index.htm).; ; The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than one thousand six hundred household surveys across 164 countries in six regions and 25 other high income countries (industrialized economies). While income distribution data are published for all countries with data available, poverty data are published for low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia) only. The aggregated numbers for low- and middle-income countries correspond to the totals of 6 regions in PovcalNet, which include low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia). See PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/WhatIsNew.aspx) for definitions of geographical regions and industrialized countries.

In 2023, in El Salvador, the proportion of the population living in poverty conditions was slightly higher in rural areas, accounting for a total share of **** percent. Additionally, rural areas also had the highest share of extreme poverty among the different geographical residencies.

Poverty ratio at $3.2 a day of El Salvador sank by 28.75% from 8.0 % in 2018 to 5.7 % in 2019. Since the 4.90% upward trend in 2016, poverty ratio at $3.2 a day plummeted by 46.73% in 2019. Poverty headcount ratio at $3.20 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $3.20 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

22.3 (%) in 2019. Poverty headcount ratio at $5.50 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $5.50 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

El Salvador Proportion of Population Pushed Below the 60% Median Consumption Poverty Line By Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditure: % data was reported at 0.610 % in 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.630 % for 2018. El Salvador Proportion of Population Pushed Below the 60% Median Consumption Poverty Line By Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditure: % data is updated yearly, averaging 0.630 % from Dec 2014 (Median) to 2019, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.830 % in 2016 and a record low of 0.250 % in 2014. El Salvador Proportion of Population Pushed Below the 60% Median Consumption Poverty Line By Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditure: % data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s El Salvador – Table SV.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. This indicator shows the fraction of a country’s population experiencing out-of-pocket health impoverishing expenditures, defined as expenditures without which the household they live in would have been above the 60% median consumption but because of the expenditures is below the poverty line. Out-of-pocket health expenditure is defined as any spending incurred by a household when any member uses a health good or service to receive any type of care (preventive, curative, rehabilitative, long-term or palliative care); provided by any type of provider; for any type of disease, illness or health condition; in any type of setting (outpatient, inpatient, at home).;Global Health Observatory. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023. (https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/financial-protection);Weighted average;This indicator is related to Sustainable Development Goal 3.8.2 [https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

Poverty gap at $3.2 a day of El Salvador sank by 30.00% from 2.0 % in 2018 to 1.4 % in 2019. Since the 12.00% jump in 2016, poverty gap at $3.2 a day plummeted by 50.00% in 2019. Poverty gap at $3.20 a day (2011 PPP) is the mean shortfall in income or consumption from the poverty line $3.20 a day (counting the nonpoor as having zero shortfall), expressed as a percentage of the poverty line. This measure reflects the depth of poverty as well as its incidence.

El Salvador enjoys a significant demographic bonus: one in five Salvadorans is between 15 and 24 years old. Ensuring the well-being of this segment of the population is doubly beneficial: it improves the living conditions of a large sector of the population and contributes to improving human capital that will bear fruit for several decades. In both social and economic terms, it is a profitable investment. However, it is worrying to note that there is a higher incidence of extreme poverty and vulnerability in the young population than in the rest of the population. To achieve improvements in human capital, education and employment must be the primary focus areas. In education, we document a low percentage of young people who attend and remain in school, and a high level of learning poverty. In addition, a high percentage of young people do not study or work. On the other hand, the percentage of young men who study and work has fallen in recent years, while the percentage of women has remained constant. In employment, we find about half of young people active in the labor market, although most employed young people have informal jobs, with men having a higher incidence in informality. In terms of wages, the monthly labor income of young people is 17 percent lower than that of adults, and in the aggregate, the total income of young people represents 12 percent of the income generated by workers in El Salvador. In addition, gender gaps differ according to the type of employment. In general, men receive a higher salary than women. This is also true in the case of dependent employment. However, in self-employment, the situation is the other way around. The decompositions made for all three cases indicate that women should receive a higher salary. But, in general, there is evidence of men being favored. In this note, we present an overview of the situation of young people in El Salvador, paying special attention to their conditions in education and work and emphasizing gender differences and the poverty conditions in their households.

El Salvador: Poverty, percent of population: Pour cet indicateur, La Banque mondiale fournit des données pour la El Salvador de 2020 à 2022. La valeur moyenne pour El Salvador pendant cette période était de 25.8 pour cent avec un minimum de 24.6 pour cent en 2021 et un maximum de 26.6 pour cent en 2022.

Using panel data from the Multipurpose Household Survey (EHPM) for the period 2018-2022, this note analyzes the dynamics of poverty and labor transitions in El Salvador. We compute transition matrices and identify the key associated factors to these transitions. Labor transitions, more specifically the incorporation of new household members into the labor market, are key determinants of the dynamics of poverty. In a typical year in our sample, about one third of poor households leave poverty and about one half of extremely poor households leave extreme poverty. Initial income status is key to defining transitions since the probability of moving out of or into poverty increases the closer the income is to the poverty line.