Central government debt, total in El Salvador
El Salvador: Central government debt, total was 107.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Central government debt, total in El Salvador, 1998–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, central government debt, total in El Salvador stood at 107.3%. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is up 4.1% on the previous year and up 111.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, central government debt, total in El Salvador peaked at 107.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 24.7%, in 1998.
El Salvador ranks 7th of 83 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Central government debt, total in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 24.7% | — |
| 1999 | 28.2% | +14.4% |
| 2000 | 27.4% | -2.9% |
| 2001 | 35.4% | +29.2% |
| 2002 | 62.4% | +76.6% |
| 2003 | 57.9% | -7.3% |
| 2004 | 56.5% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 56.2% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 50.5% | -10.1% |
| 2007 | 48.5% | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 48.4% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 58.1% | +20.1% |
| 2010 | 57.5% | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 54.6% | -5.1% |
| 2012 | 54.9% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 62.4% | +13.8% |
| 2014 | 50.8% | -18.5% |
| 2015 | 51.3% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 52.1% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 55.2% | +6.1% |
| 2018 | 52.2% | -5.5% |
| 2019 | 53.9% | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 70.4% | +30.6% |
| 2021 | 66.5% | -5.6% |
| 2022 | 74.0% | +11.4% |
| 2023 | 103.1% | +39.2% |
| 2024 | 107.3% | +4.1% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 107.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 47.9%, 2.2× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 107.3% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 61.0%, 1.8× the median. (17 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Central government debt, total in El Salvador changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | +76.6% | 35.4% | 62.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.4% | 24.7% | 28.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 50.1% | 27.4% | 62.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.5% | 50.8% | 62.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 84.2% | 66.5% | 107.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More economy & growth data for El Salvador
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.92 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.3 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 318.29 million BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0087 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 50 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 763.72 million BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -27.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0208 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 119.98 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 30 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is central government debt, total in El Salvador?
- Central government debt, total in El Salvador was 107.3% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest central government debt, total recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 107.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest central government debt, total recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.7% in 1998.
- How does El Salvador rank for central government debt, total?
- El Salvador ranks 7th out of 83 countries with data for 2024.
- Is central government debt, total rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 111.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Central government debt, total (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year. Central government is the part of general government that includes all administrative departments of the national executive, legislative, and judicial functions, other central agencies and those non-market producers controlled by the central government, whose competence extends normally over the whole economic territory. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.