Country explorer: El Salvador
EXPERIMENTAL
2024
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Overview
El Salvador is a mountainous, upper-middle-income country in North America with a small population. Its economy has grown stably in recent decades, and is based on agriculture, textiles and services.
El Salvador grows the best coffee in the world, known as Pacamara.
Economy
El Salvador has experienced a steady, albeit modest, growth in GDP per capita alongside notable decreases in poverty rates across different thresholds, sustained low unemployment, and controlled inflation, suggesting an economy that has been gradually improving while maintaining stability in key economic indicators, mirroring trends observed in several upper-middle-income countries, albeit at a slower pace.
Demographics
El Salvador has experienced a period of relatively stable population growth, significant outward migration, a decrease in fertility rate that approximates the global trend towards smaller families, and a steady increase in life expectancy, underscoring health improvements and demographic shifts similar to those in upper-middle-income countries.
Basic needs
El Salvador has made significant strides in improving basic needs, such as clean cooking fuels and electricity access, demonstrating a faster improvement in these areas compared to its regional peers like Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
Human development
El Salvador has demonstrated steady progress in human development, marked by improved literacy rates and a decreasing child mortality rate, indicating a transformative shift towards better education and health standards, akin to its regional peers but with distinct challenges in maximizing the quality and inclusivity of these advancements.
Environment & energy
El Salvador has experienced a gradual decrease in both its renewable internal freshwater resources per capita and its forest area, reflecting pressures from a growing population and increased land use, while taking steps to diversify its energy production by incorporating significantly more solar and bioenergy, in line with trends seen in some upper-middle-income countries but with distinctive strides in solar energy advancement.
Technology & innovation
El Salvador has shown moderate growth in technology and innovation, with a notable increase in internet usage and mobile subscriptions, yet lags behind its peers in research & development spending and scientific output, reflecting a gradual but constrained digital transformation.
Culture & society
El Salvador has experienced notable demographic stabilization accompanied by improved gender equality and slight increases in foreign-born population and life satisfaction over the past two decades, portraying a gradual transformation in societal attributes in line with regional trends, albeit with unique national characteristics.
Governance
El Salvador has experienced a marked decline in governance quality, with significant regressions in the rule of law, increased perceptions of corruption, reductions in political and civil liberties, and an erosion of press freedom, aligning its trajectory more closely with nations facing systemic governance challenges.