Urban population growth in El Salvador
El Salvador: Urban population growth was 1.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Urban population growth in El Salvador, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population growth in El Salvador stood at 1.0%.
The figure is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 29.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in El Salvador peaked at 3.4% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2019.
El Salvador ranks 122nd of 217 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Urban population growth in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.1% | — |
| 1962 | 3.0% | -3.2% |
| 1963 | 2.9% | -3.6% |
| 1964 | 2.9% | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 3.0% | +1.6% |
| 1966 | 3.0% | +1.3% |
| 1967 | 3.0% | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 3.0% | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 3.0% | -1.3% |
| 1970 | 2.9% | -4.0% |
| 1971 | 2.8% | -3.5% |
| 1972 | 2.8% | +2.1% |
| 1973 | 2.9% | +4.3% |
| 1974 | 3.0% | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 3.0% | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 3.1% | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 3.1% | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 3.2% | +2.4% |
| 1979 | 3.1% | -3.8% |
| 1980 | 2.5% | -18.0% |
| 1981 | 1.9% | -24.3% |
| 1982 | 2.4% | +26.4% |
| 1983 | 3.1% | +29.8% |
| 1984 | 3.3% | +3.5% |
| 1985 | 3.4% | +3.2% |
| 1986 | 3.4% | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 3.4% | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 3.4% | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 3.3% | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 3.2% | -3.0% |
| 1991 | 3.1% | -4.8% |
| 1992 | 2.9% | -4.8% |
| 1993 | 2.6% | -10.4% |
| 1994 | 2.3% | -11.6% |
| 1995 | 2.3% | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 2.2% | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 2.2% | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 2.2% | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 2.1% | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 2.1% | -2.8% |
| 2001 | 2.0% | -4.2% |
| 2002 | 1.9% | -5.9% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | -7.0% |
| 2004 | 1.6% | -7.3% |
| 2005 | 1.5% | -7.5% |
| 2006 | 1.4% | -7.4% |
| 2007 | 1.5% | +9.8% |
| 2008 | 1.7% | +12.8% |
| 2009 | 1.7% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 1.7% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 1.7% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 1.7% | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 1.6% | -4.9% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | -8.7% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | -12.7% |
| 2017 | 1.2% | -7.9% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | -11.4% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | -8.6% |
| 2020 | 1.1% | +13.6% |
| 2021 | 1.2% | +10.3% |
| 2022 | 1.0% | -14.7% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | +6.8% |
| 2024 | 1.1% | -1.9% |
| 2025 | 1.0% | -2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.0% | 2.9% | 3.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.0% | 2.8% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.0% | 1.9% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.5% | 2.1% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More climate change data for El Salvador
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 5,408 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,253 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 4,155 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 4.73 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 148.4 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,045 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 999.45 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 45.18 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 3.77 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 1.61 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in El Salvador?
- Urban population growth in El Salvador was 1.0% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 3.4% in 1988.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2019.
- How does El Salvador rank for urban population growth?
- El Salvador ranks 122nd out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.