Current account balance in El Salvador
El Salvador: Current account balance was -3.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Current account balance in El Salvador, 1976–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
El Salvador recorded -3.5% for current account balance in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 28.1% on the previous year and down 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, current account balance in El Salvador peaked at 3.4% in 1987 and was at its lowest, -8.9%, in 1978.
El Salvador ranks 127th of 200 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Current account balance in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 1.0% | — |
| 1977 | 1.3% | +25.1% |
| 1978 | -8.9% | -801.6% |
| 1979 | 0.9% | -110.4% |
| 1980 | 0.9% | +2.0% |
| 1981 | -7.3% | -867.9% |
| 1982 | -3.5% | -51.5% |
| 1983 | -0.8% | -77.5% |
| 1984 | -1.5% | +85.0% |
| 1985 | -0.8% | -48.6% |
| 1986 | 3.1% | -510.5% |
| 1987 | 3.4% | +10.7% |
| 1988 | 0.6% | -82.1% |
| 1989 | -4.4% | -822.2% |
| 1990 | -3.1% | -29.2% |
| 1991 | -3.2% | +1.2% |
| 1992 | -1.9% | -41.2% |
| 1993 | -1.2% | -34.7% |
| 1994 | -0.2% | -80.9% |
| 1995 | -2.9% | +1151.8% |
| 1996 | -1.8% | -39.9% |
| 1997 | -1.0% | -45.8% |
| 1998 | -0.8% | -13.3% |
| 1999 | -2.1% | +155.7% |
| 2000 | -3.7% | +72.3% |
| 2001 | -1.2% | -66.5% |
| 2002 | -3.2% | +161.4% |
| 2003 | -5.3% | +65.7% |
| 2004 | -4.7% | -11.8% |
| 2005 | -4.2% | -9.6% |
| 2006 | -4.8% | +13.1% |
| 2007 | -7.2% | +49.5% |
| 2008 | -8.5% | +19.1% |
| 2009 | -1.8% | -79.2% |
| 2010 | -2.9% | +62.8% |
| 2011 | -5.5% | +89.8% |
| 2012 | -5.8% | +5.8% |
| 2013 | -6.9% | +19.1% |
| 2014 | -5.4% | -22.2% |
| 2015 | -3.2% | -40.1% |
| 2016 | -2.3% | -29.3% |
| 2017 | -1.9% | -18.2% |
| 2018 | -3.3% | +77.5% |
| 2019 | -0.4% | -87.2% |
| 2020 | 1.1% | -363.3% |
| 2021 | -4.3% | -487.8% |
| 2022 | -6.7% | +56.2% |
| 2023 | -1.7% | -74.1% |
| 2024 | -2.8% | +58.7% |
| 2025 | -3.5% | +28.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | -1.4% | -8.9% | 1.3% | 4 |
| 1980s | -1.0% | -7.3% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.8% | -3.2% | -0.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | -4.5% | -8.5% | -1.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | -3.8% | -6.9% | -0.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | -3.0% | -6.7% | 1.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
- 124 Latvia -3.4% compare
- 125 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of -3.4% compare
- 126 Iceland -3.5% compare
- 128 New Zealand -3.6% compare
- 129 Slovakia -3.6% compare
- 130 United States of America -3.6% compare
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)
- Total reserves minus gold (current US$), annual growth rate 27.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Total reserves minus gold (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1243 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Total reserves minus gold (current US$), per capita 716.76 current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) -3.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 0.1641 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 946.49 current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) -3.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU), per 0.1641 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is current account balance in El Salvador?
- Current account balance in El Salvador was -3.5% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest current account balance recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 3.4% in 1987.
- What is the lowest current account balance recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was -8.9% in 1978.
- How does El Salvador rank for current account balance?
- El Salvador ranks 127th out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is current account balance rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Current account balance (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Balance of current transactions (transactions in goods and services, earned income and transfer income) between residents and non-residents. The term current account balance is used in the external accounts and is expressed from the perspective of resident units. The term current external balance is used in the national accounts and is expressed from the perspective of the non-resident units, and therefore with the opposite sign. 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.