Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP in El Salvador
El Salvador: Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP was 0.9% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP in El Salvador, 1996–2025
Source: International Monetary Fund (Balance of Payments), UNCTAD, and national sources, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in El Salvador stood at 0.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and up 107.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in El Salvador peaked at 1.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, -1.6%, in 2018.
That places El Salvador 54th out of 189 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 outflows as share of GDP in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.1% | — |
| 1999 | 0.5% | +535.2% |
| 2000 | -0.0% | -108.9% |
| 2001 | -0.1% | +86.1% |
| 2002 | -0.2% | +157.0% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | -169.2% |
| 2004 | -0.0% | -114.3% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | -3933.6% |
| 2006 | -0.2% | -121.4% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | -440.4% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | -21.1% |
| 2009 | 0.0% | -96.2% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | +3523.3% |
| 2011 | -0.5% | -177.6% |
| 2012 | -0.2% | -64.5% |
| 2013 | 0.3% | -279.0% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | +194.4% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | -52.6% |
| 2016 | 0.5% | +29.9% |
| 2017 | -1.5% | -383.3% |
| 2018 | -1.6% | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 0.2% | -114.2% |
| 2020 | 1.5% | +583.9% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | -4.5% |
| 2022 | -0.4% | -125.0% |
| 2023 | -0.1% | -75.5% |
| 2024 | 0.9% | -1085.5% |
| 2025 | 0.9% | -2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.1% | -0.2% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.1% | -1.6% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7% | -0.4% | 1.5% | 6 |
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)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita 4,425 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 8.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 1.24 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per capita 7,154 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), annual growth rate 8.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per unit of GDP 1.24 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per capita 7,154 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 7.7 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in El Salvador?
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in El Salvador was 0.9% in 2025, according to International Monetary Fund (Balance of Payments), UNCTAD, and national sources, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 1.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.6% in 2018.
- How does El Salvador rank for foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp?
- El Salvador ranks 54th out of 189 countries with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 107.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (Balance of Payments), UNCTAD, and national sources, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Net outflows of foreign direct investment from the reporting economy to the rest of the world.