Population and Demographics of El Salvador
Population changed +0.45% in 2024 · median age 27 years
The UN medium outlook puts El Salvador at 6.66 million people in 2050, with fertility measured at 1.8 children per woman. The 16.66-point difference between the under-15 and 65-plus shares shows how strongly the age balance leans younger.
Population Over Time in El Salvador
Since 2000, El Salvador's population has grown from 5.943M to 6.338M, a net shift of about 0.39 million. The UN medium projection places 2050 at 6.663M, about 5.1% above the 2024 reference point. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
El Salvador's demographic structure is mixed when the 2024 population is divided into the three broad age groups. Children under 15 make up 24.81% of the population, compared with 8.15% aged 65 or older, and 67.04% are 15 to 64. The age balance is weighted toward younger residents.
Population by broad age group
El Salvador's 2024 population is 52.5% female and 47.5% male in the World Bank series. Females exceed males by 5.0 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Females made up 52.5% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 47.5% males.
What Is Shaping Population Change
Population is moving +0.45% annually in El Salvador, where fertility is estimated at 1.8, and 67.04% of residents fall in the broad 15-to-64 age group.
The historical series puts El Salvador's 2000-to-2024 population change at +6.6%, and the 2050 medium path differs from 2024 by +5.1%; interpreting the components of that change requires evidence not supplied by the aggregate series.
2024 estimate for El Salvador. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
El Salvador vs. World
Relative to the 2024 world benchmarks, El Salvador's population change is lower than the global rate, its fertility is below the global level, and its population is younger than the corresponding global median-age profile.
| Indicator | El Salvador | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +0.45% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.8 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 27 | 30.6 | 2024 |
The table is built for like-for-like comparison, using 2024 values from a single harmonized source context linked to UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Key Takeaways
The 2024 total is 6,338,193 people. Annual change in the same harmonized table is +0.45%.
Age structure is a key feature of the profile: 24.81% are under 15 and 8.15% are 65 or older.
The 2024 female and male shares are 52.5% and 47.5% respectively.
On the medium path, 2050 reaches 6.663M, a +5.1% shift from the 2024 level.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of El Salvador?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for El Salvador is 6,338,193 people.
Is the population of El Salvador growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, El Salvador's population is growing, with annual change of +0.45%.
What percentage of the population of El Salvador is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 8.15% of El Salvador's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of El Salvador in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts El Salvador's 2050 population at 6,663,346.
What is the fertility rate in El Salvador?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for El Salvador is 1.8 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.