Population in the largest city in El Salvador
El Salvador: Population in the largest city was 23.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
23.6%
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
104th
of 153 countries
All-time high
36.9%
in 1983
All-time low
23.6%
in 2025
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population in the largest city in El Salvador, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population in the largest city in El Salvador is 23.6%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in El Salvador peaked at 36.9% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 23.6%, in 2025.
El Salvador ranks 104th of 153 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 29.0% | — |
| 1961 | 29.5% | +1.6% |
| 1962 | 30.0% | +1.7% |
| 1963 | 30.6% | +1.8% |
| 1964 | 31.1% | +1.8% |
| 1965 | 31.7% | +1.8% |
| 1966 | 32.2% | +1.7% |
| 1967 | 32.8% | +1.7% |
| 1968 | 33.3% | +1.7% |
| 1969 | 33.9% | +1.8% |
| 1970 | 34.6% | +1.9% |
| 1971 | 35.2% | +2.0% |
| 1972 | 35.4% | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 35.5% | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 35.6% | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 35.7% | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 35.7% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 35.8% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 35.8% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 35.8% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 36.1% | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 36.5% | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 36.8% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 36.9% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 36.9% | -0.0% |
| 1985 | 36.8% | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 36.8% | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 36.7% | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 36.7% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 36.7% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 36.7% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 36.7% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 36.8% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 36.2% | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 35.5% | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 34.8% | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 34.1% | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 33.4% | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 32.8% | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 32.2% | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 31.6% | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 31.0% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 30.5% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 30.1% | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 29.7% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 29.3% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 29.0% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 28.6% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 28.2% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 27.8% | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 27.4% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 27.0% | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 26.6% | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 26.2% | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 25.8% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 25.5% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 25.2% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 25.0% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 24.8% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 24.5% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 24.3% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 24.0% | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 23.9% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 23.7% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 23.6% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 23.6% | -0.2% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 23.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 26.2%, 90% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 23.6% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 35.8%, 66% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 31.4% | 29.0% | 33.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 35.5% | 34.6% | 35.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 36.7% | 36.1% | 36.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 34.9% | 32.2% | 36.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.6% | 27.8% | 31.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.8% | 24.5% | 27.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.8% | 23.6% | 24.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More urban development data for El Salvador
- Population density 304.52 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 29.59 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.1779 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 1.13 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 0.8047 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 53.86 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 1.13 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0.249 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 24.44 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in El Salvador?
- Population in the largest city in El Salvador was 23.6% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 36.9% in 1983.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.6% in 2025.
- How does El Salvador rank for population in the largest city?
- El Salvador ranks 104th out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.6%. 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 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.