Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP (%) in El Salvador
El Salvador: Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP (%) was 2.6% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP in El Salvador, 2000–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
El Salvador recorded 2.6% for foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp in 2024.
That represents a change of up 37.5% on the previous year and up 16.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp in El Salvador peaked at 9.1% in 2007 and was at its lowest, -0.6%, in 2010.
El Salvador ranks 95th of 214 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.
Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP (%) in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.5% | — |
| 2001 | 2.3% | +54.3% |
| 2002 | 3.7% | +63.4% |
| 2003 | 1.1% | -71.3% |
| 2004 | 2.6% | +148.3% |
| 2005 | 3.5% | +31.4% |
| 2006 | 1.5% | -56.7% |
| 2007 | 9.1% | +504.8% |
| 2008 | 5.0% | -44.9% |
| 2009 | 2.1% | -58.3% |
| 2010 | -0.6% | -129.3% |
| 2011 | 0.6% | -198.5% |
| 2012 | 2.0% | +233.0% |
| 2013 | 1.1% | -44.6% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | +101.0% |
| 2015 | 2.1% | -5.8% |
| 2016 | 2.0% | -6.1% |
| 2017 | 2.0% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 1.6% | -21.4% |
| 2019 | 2.6% | +63.3% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | -40.1% |
| 2021 | 2.8% | +77.7% |
| 2022 | 0.1% | -97.0% |
| 2023 | 1.9% | +2207.2% |
| 2024 | 2.6% | +37.5% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 2.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.5%, 1.1× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 2.6% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3.4%, 77% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP (%) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +2207.2% | 0.1% | 1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.2% | 1.1% | 9.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.6% | -0.6% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.8% | 0.1% | 2.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More economy & growth data for El Salvador
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate -26.48 % change on previous year (2024)
- 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)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 3.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0058 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 33.72 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -1.21 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0043 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 24.62 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 34.42 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp in El Salvador?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp in El Salvador was 2.6% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 9.1% in 2007.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.6% in 2010.
- How does El Salvador rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp?
- El Salvador ranks 95th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of gdp rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Foreign direct investment, net inflows, as a proportion of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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