Urban and rural population in El Salvador

El Salvador: Urban and rural population was 4.81 million in 2025. β–² Rising

Latest (2025)
4.81 million
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
103rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.81 million
in 2025
All-time low
794,717
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025

Urban and rural population in El Salvador, 1950–2025

1.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M195019872025

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for urban and rural population in El Salvador is 4.81 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.

The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 11.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, urban and rural population in El Salvador peaked at 4.81 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 794,717, in 1950.

El Salvador ranks 103rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 911,725 794,717 1.04 million 10
1960s 1.23 million 1.07 million 1.40 million 10
1970s 1.66 million 1.45 million 1.90 million 10
1980s 2.22 million 1.94 million 2.56 million 10
1990s 2.98 million 2.64 million 3.29 million 10
2000s 3.63 million 3.36 million 3.90 million 10
2010s 4.26 million 3.97 million 4.51 million 10
2020s 4.68 million 4.55 million 4.81 million 6

Countries ranked near El Salvador

  1. 100 Bulgaria 4.98 million compare
  2. 101 Paraguay 4.94 million compare
  3. 102 Palestine 4.88 million compare
  4. 104 Sri Lanka 4.75 million compare
  5. 105 Norway 4.70 million compare
  6. 106 Rwanda 4.50 million compare

See the full ranking of 237 places β†’

More population data for El Salvador

All data for El Salvador β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is urban and rural population in El Salvador?
Urban and rural population in El Salvador was 4.81 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest urban and rural population recorded in El Salvador?
The highest recorded value was 4.81 million in 2025.
What is the lowest urban and rural population recorded in El Salvador?
The lowest recorded value was 794,717 in 1950.
How does El Salvador rank for urban and rural population?
El Salvador ranks 103rd out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
Is urban and rural population rising or falling in El Salvador?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this El Salvador data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Urban and rural population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Urban and rural population
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
237 places, 18,012 data points, 1950–2025
Last refreshed