Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in El Salvador

El Salvador: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income was 16.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
16.2%
Change on year
down 4.1%
World rank
28th
of 130 countries
All-time high
26.9%
in 1998
All-time low
14.4%
in 2015
Years of data
29
1989–2023

Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in El Salvador, 1989–2023

01020301989200620231989: 25.51991: 24.21995: 21.11996: 221998: 26.91999: 24.32000: 23.32001: 23.62002: 23.62003: 24.12004: 20.92005: 21.32006: 18.22007: 16.22008: 18.62009: 18.52010: 18.32011: 15.92012: 15.72013: 16.32014: 15.62015: 14.42016: 16.32017: 14.52018: 15.32019: 14.62021: 172022: 16.92023: 16.2

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

In 2023, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in El Salvador stood at 16.2%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.1% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in El Salvador peaked at 26.9% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 14.4%, in 2015.

That places El Salvador 28th out of 130 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.

Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in El Salvador, year by year

Annual values for Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) in El Salvador, 1989 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1989 25.5%
1991 24.2% -5.1%
1995 21.1% -12.8%
1996 22.0% +4.3%
1998 26.9% +22.3%
1999 24.3% -9.7%
2000 23.3% -4.1%
2001 23.6% +1.3%
2002 23.6% +0.0%
2003 24.1% +2.1%
2004 20.9% -13.3%
2005 21.3% +1.9%
2006 18.2% -14.6%
2007 16.2% -11.0%
2008 18.6% +14.8%
2009 18.5% -0.5%
2010 18.3% -1.1%
2011 15.9% -13.1%
2012 15.7% -1.3%
2013 16.3% +3.8%
2014 15.6% -4.3%
2015 14.4% -7.7%
2016 16.3% +13.2%
2017 14.5% -11.0%
2018 15.3% +5.5%
2019 14.6% -4.6%
2021 17.0% +16.4%
2022 16.9% -0.6%
2023 16.2% -4.1%

El Salvador compared with similar countries

  • El Salvador's 16.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 14.8%, 1.1× the median. (36 countries reporting)
  • El Salvador's 16.2% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 17.8%, 91% of the median. (18 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 25.5% 25.5% 25.5% 1
1990s 23.7% 21.1% 26.9% 5
2000s 20.8% 16.2% 24.1% 10
2010s 15.7% 14.4% 18.3% 10
2020s 16.7% 16.2% 17.0% 3

Countries ranked near El Salvador

  1. 25 Paraguay 16.3% compare
  2. 25 Türkiye 16.3% compare
  3. 25 Turkey 16.3% compare
  4. 29 Belize 16.0% compare
  5. 30 Montenegro 15.9% compare
  6. 31 Mexico 15.7% compare

See the full ranking of 131 places →

More infrastructure data for El Salvador

All data for El Salvador →

Frequently asked questions

What is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in El Salvador?
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in El Salvador was 16.2% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in El Salvador?
The highest recorded value was 26.9% in 1998.
What is the lowest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in El Salvador?
The lowest recorded value was 14.4% in 2015.
How does El Salvador rank for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
El Salvador ranks 28th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
Is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income rising or falling in El Salvador?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this El Salvador data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in El Salvador. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-people-living-below-50-percent-of-median-income-percent-2/el-salvador/

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About this data

Indicator
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
131 places, 2,510 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed