El Salvador at its true size
El Salvador covers 21,041 km², number 149 of 194 countries by area. Home to 6,365,503 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 21,041 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 6,365,503 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 303 per km² |
| Capital | San Salvador |
| Local time in San Salvador | |
| Time zone | UTC−6 IANA |
| Currency | United States dollar (USD) Wikidata |
| Languages | Spanish |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Central America, North America |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +503 |
| Codes | SV · SLV · 222 |
Weather in San Salvador now
Now
—Loading the forecast…
The next three days
Weather data: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), updated hourly · Temperatures on the map
Where El Salvador ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#112 of 1946.4 million people#10 of 23 in North America
- Population density#28 of 194303 people per km²#4 of 23 in North America
- Urban population#56 of 19276% urban#7 of 23 in North America
- Fertility rate#111 of 1921.77 births per woman#9 of 23 in North America
- Population growth#135 of 192+0.43% a year#14 of 23 in North America
- Birth rate#98 of 19215.6 births per 1,000 people#8 of 23 in North America
- Death rate#86 of 1927.5 deaths per 1,000 people#14 of 23 in North America
- Children under 15#94 of 19224.4% under 15#8 of 23 in North America
- People over 65#92 of 1928.3% aged 65 and over#17 of 23 in North America
- Net migration#167 of 192−3.8 per 1,000 people#21 of 23 in North America
- Refugees abroad#17 of 19010.71 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#2 of 23 in North America
Health & education
- Life expectancy#113 of 19272.3 years#18 of 23 in North America
- Infant mortality#117 of 1918.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#19 of 23 in North America
- Doctors#92 of 1781.62 doctors per 1,000 people#12 of 20 in North America
- University enrolment#100 of 14532.8% gross enrolment#9 of 15 in North America
- Human Development Index#130 of 190an index of 0.678#20 of 23 in North America
Economy
- GNI per capita#111 of 185$5,410 a person#19 of 22 in North America
- Internet users#126 of 18467% online#19 of 23 in North America
- GDP per capita (PPP)#113 of 184$14,101 a person#18 of 22 in North America
- GDP growth#73 of 187+3.9% a year#7 of 23 in North America
- Inflation#156 of 176+0.3% a year#20 of 22 in North America
- Unemployment#127 of 1783.3% of the labour force#14 of 19 in North America
- Extreme poverty#57 of 1494.6% under $3.00 a day#3 of 14 in North America
- Income inequality (Gini)#40 of 149a Gini index of 39.8#11 of 14 in North America
- Jobs in agriculture#97 of 17813.9% of jobs#8 of 19 in North America
- Jobs in industry#54 of 17823.1% of jobs#3 of 19 in North America
- Jobs in services#78 of 17863.0% of jobs#15 of 19 in North America
- Foreign investment#89 of 1842.1% of GDP#14 of 23 in North America
- Exports#93 of 16832.0% of GDP#10 of 15 in North America
- Military spending#95 of 1551.3% of GDP#5 of 14 in North America
- Mobile subscriptions#9 of 191177 subscriptions per 100 people#2 of 23 in North America
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#114 of 1851.51 tonnes a person#15 of 23 in North America
- Forest area#95 of 19233% forest#19 of 23 in North America
- Renewable energy#99 of 19021.9% renewable#9 of 23 in North America
- Access to electricity#115 of 19298.7% with electricity#16 of 23 in North America
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#51 of 19129.6 µg/m³#3 of 23 in North America
- Protected land#151 of 1918.3% of the land protected#22 of 23 in North America
- Arable land#20 of 19034.8% of the land arable#2 of 23 in North America
- Water stress#84 of 17612.1% of its available fresh water#11 of 22 in North America
- Precipitation#41 of 1801,784 mm a year#11 of 23 in North America
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of El Salvador’s area, lit up on the map →
- Israel1.01×El Salvador and Israel are almost exactly the same size.
- Slovenia1.04×El Salvador is 4% larger than Slovenia.
- Belize0.92×El Salvador is 8% smaller than Belize.
- Djibouti0.91×El Salvador is 9% smaller than Djibouti.
- Fiji1.15×El Salvador is 15% larger than Fiji.
- Kuwait1.18×El Salvador is 18% larger than Kuwait.
How many times does El Salvador fit into…
- Russia: about 812 times
- Canada: about 475 times
- United States: about 467 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes El Salvador shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Summits
- Cerro El Pital2,730 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside El Salvador. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about El Salvador
- How big is El Salvador?
- El Salvador covers 21,041 km², which makes it number 149 of 194 countries by area. About 6,365,503 people live there (2025), 303 per km².
- Is El Salvador bigger than Israel?
- El Salvador and Israel are almost exactly the same size. El Salvador: 21,041 km²; Israel: 20,770 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort El Salvador?
- El Salvador lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border El Salvador?
- El Salvador shares a land border with Honduras, Guatemala.