Travel services in El Salvador
El Salvador: Travel services was 59.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Travel services in El Salvador, 1976–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of service exports, BoP.
Analysis
In 2025, travel services in El Salvador stood at 59.3%. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 79.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, travel services in El Salvador peaked at 59.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 9.6%, in 1980.
That places El Salvador 48th out of 198 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Travel services in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % of service exports, BoP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 25.7% | — |
| 1977 | 28.2% | +9.4% |
| 1978 | 30.4% | +7.8% |
| 1979 | 18.7% | -38.3% |
| 1980 | 9.6% | -48.6% |
| 1981 | 11.3% | +17.7% |
| 1982 | 17.0% | +50.4% |
| 1983 | 17.9% | +4.9% |
| 1984 | 17.9% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 19.3% | +8.0% |
| 1986 | 17.5% | -9.6% |
| 1987 | 13.5% | -22.6% |
| 1988 | 16.9% | +25.1% |
| 1989 | 16.5% | -2.2% |
| 1990 | 23.1% | +39.5% |
| 1991 | 22.8% | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 19.5% | -14.5% |
| 1993 | 19.3% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 17.2% | -10.9% |
| 1995 | 18.5% | +7.3% |
| 1996 | 13.8% | -25.5% |
| 1997 | 19.2% | +39.8% |
| 1998 | 21.9% | +13.7% |
| 1999 | 21.4% | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 18.5% | -13.5% |
| 2001 | 16.5% | -10.6% |
| 2002 | 19.2% | +16.1% |
| 2003 | 26.1% | +36.3% |
| 2004 | 21.7% | -16.9% |
| 2005 | 24.4% | +12.5% |
| 2006 | 25.2% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 31.0% | +23.2% |
| 2008 | 27.7% | -10.7% |
| 2009 | 24.7% | -10.7% |
| 2010 | 26.0% | +5.4% |
| 2011 | 25.4% | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 29.9% | +17.8% |
| 2013 | 29.0% | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 35.3% | +21.8% |
| 2015 | 33.0% | -6.6% |
| 2016 | 32.5% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 34.1% | +4.9% |
| 2018 | 35.8% | +5.0% |
| 2019 | 39.5% | +10.1% |
| 2020 | 29.0% | -26.6% |
| 2021 | 32.0% | +10.5% |
| 2022 | 43.1% | +34.8% |
| 2023 | 53.0% | +23.0% |
| 2024 | 58.4% | +10.1% |
| 2025 | 59.3% | +1.6% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 59.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 48.1%, 1.2× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 59.3% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 54.7%, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 25.7% | 18.7% | 30.4% | 4 |
| 1980s | 15.8% | 9.6% | 19.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.7% | 13.8% | 23.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.5% | 16.5% | 31.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.1% | 25.4% | 39.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 45.8% | 29.0% | 59.3% | 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 travel services in El Salvador?
- Travel services in El Salvador was 59.3% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest travel services recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 59.3% in 2025.
- What is the lowest travel services recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.6% in 1980.
- How does El Salvador rank for travel services?
- El Salvador ranks 48th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is travel services rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 79.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Travel services (% of service exports, BoP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Travel services cover goods and services for own use or to give away acquired from an economy by nonresidents during visits to that economy, or acquired from other economies by residents during visits to these other economies. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service exports which are services provided by residents to non-residents.