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El Salvador
Republic of El Salvador · Central America
At a glance
CapitalSan Salvador
Most common first languageSpanish99.5% speak it as a mother tongue
Official languageSpanish
CurrencyUnited States dollar
Drives on theright
Highest pointCerro El Pital2,730 m
Biggest category of goods exportedmanufactured goods70% of goods exports, 2024
Services share of exports52.8%of everything sold abroad, 2025
Internet domain.sv
Facts about El Salvador
El Salvador was the first to make Bitcoin legal tender.
Source: imf.org · checked 2026-08-08El Salvador by the numbers
Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.
| Measure | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year. | 6.37m (2025) | 112th of 209 |
| GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices. | $36.7bn (2025) | 109th of 203 |
| Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory. | 20.7k km² (2023) | 150th of 209 |
| Military spending, totalWhat the government spends on its armed forces in a year — pay, equipment and operations. | $425m (2024) | 106th of 151 |
| Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined. | $11.8bn (2025) | 106th of 180 |
| Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents. | 11.2m (2024) | 90th of 205 |
| Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive. | 5.70k km² (2023) | 136th of 203 |
| Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture. | 12.0k km² (2023) | 135th of 206 |
| COâ‚‚ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes. | 10 Mt (2024) | 112th of 198 |
| Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them. | 4.81m (2025) | 100th of 209 |
| Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed. | 72.3 years (2024) | 127th of 209 |
| GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population. | $5,767 (2025) | 128th of 205 |
| Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months. | 66.5% (2024) | 130th of 191 |
| InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods. | 0.3% (2025) | 165th of 182 |
| UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one. | 3.3% (2025) | 135th of 185 |
| Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas. | 75.5% (2025) | 67th of 209 |
| Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates. | 1.77 (2024) | 119th of 209 |
| Military spending, share of GDPWhat the country spends on its armed forces, as a share of everything it produces. | 1.19% of GDP (2024) | 104th of 155 |
| Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies. | 88.2% of GDP (2025) | 81st of 183 |
| COâ‚‚ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population. | 1.50 t (2024) | 125th of 198 |
| Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1. | 0.678 (2023) | 132nd of 193 |
Land borders
El Salvador shares these with other countries
Drives on the right 149Has a coast and land neighbours 115Has spanish as its most common first language 19Has spanish as an official language 20Uses the united states dollar 12Mainly exports manufactured goods 83Earns most of its export income from services 48Is in central america 7
El Salvador in the Daily Ceteris
Questions from the daily puzzle where the answer is El Salvador.
Which country was the first to make Bitcoin legal tender?
El Salvador's Bitcoin Law took full effect on 7 September 2021, obliging businesses to accept Bitcoin alongside the US dollar. The IMF warned about the risks throughout, and in 2025 the country made acceptance voluntary again as a condition of a loan deal. source
Keep going
Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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