Gross capital formation in El Salvador
El Salvador: Gross capital formation was 26.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Gross capital formation in El Salvador, 1965–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, gross capital formation in El Salvador stood at 26.3%. That is the highest value across all 61 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 30.9% on the previous year and up 64.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross capital formation in El Salvador peaked at 26.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 10.8%, in 1985.
That places El Salvador 63rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 61 years of available data.
Gross capital formation in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 15.2% | — |
| 1966 | 16.6% | +9.2% |
| 1967 | 14.8% | -10.9% |
| 1968 | 11.5% | -21.9% |
| 1969 | 13.1% | +13.6% |
| 1970 | 13.2% | +1.0% |
| 1971 | 15.6% | +17.7% |
| 1972 | 14.2% | -9.2% |
| 1973 | 18.3% | +29.0% |
| 1974 | 22.6% | +23.8% |
| 1975 | 22.1% | -2.2% |
| 1976 | 19.6% | -11.3% |
| 1977 | 23.4% | +19.3% |
| 1978 | 26.1% | +11.4% |
| 1979 | 18.1% | -30.6% |
| 1980 | 13.3% | -26.6% |
| 1981 | 14.2% | +7.3% |
| 1982 | 13.2% | -7.2% |
| 1983 | 12.1% | -8.8% |
| 1984 | 12.0% | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 10.8% | -9.3% |
| 1986 | 13.3% | +22.2% |
| 1987 | 12.4% | -6.7% |
| 1988 | 12.8% | +3.5% |
| 1989 | 15.3% | +19.8% |
| 1990 | 13.8% | -9.9% |
| 1991 | 15.5% | +11.9% |
| 1992 | 18.8% | +21.9% |
| 1993 | 19.0% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 20.4% | +7.4% |
| 1995 | 20.9% | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 15.4% | -26.7% |
| 1997 | 15.1% | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 18.7% | +23.7% |
| 1999 | 17.3% | -7.2% |
| 2000 | 17.7% | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 17.7% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 17.1% | -3.7% |
| 2003 | 18.4% | +8.0% |
| 2004 | 18.1% | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 18.6% | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 20.1% | +7.9% |
| 2007 | 20.8% | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 20.2% | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 14.1% | -30.3% |
| 2010 | 16.7% | +18.6% |
| 2011 | 17.8% | +6.7% |
| 2012 | 17.7% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 17.0% | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 16.4% | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 16.0% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 16.0% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 16.7% | +4.4% |
| 2018 | 18.4% | +10.2% |
| 2019 | 18.3% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 17.2% | -6.2% |
| 2021 | 23.4% | +35.7% |
| 2022 | 24.5% | +4.8% |
| 2023 | 21.5% | -12.2% |
| 2024 | 20.1% | -6.4% |
| 2025 | 26.3% | +30.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 14.2% | 11.5% | 16.6% | 5 |
| 1970s | 19.3% | 13.2% | 26.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.9% | 10.8% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.5% | 13.8% | 20.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.3% | 14.1% | 20.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.1% | 16.0% | 18.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.2% | 17.2% | 26.3% | 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)
- 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 gross capital formation in El Salvador?
- Gross capital formation in El Salvador was 26.3% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks.
- What is the highest gross capital formation recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 26.3% in 2025.
- What is the lowest gross capital formation recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.8% in 1985.
- How does El Salvador rank for gross capital formation?
- El Salvador ranks 63rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is gross capital formation rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 64.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks, published as part of Gross capital formation (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Gross capital formation includes acquisitions less disposals of produced assets for purposes of fixed capital formation, inventories or valuables. 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.