Employment in El Salvador
El Salvador: Employment was 2,991 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in El Salvador, 1975–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment in El Salvador is 2,991, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 43 years on record.
The figure is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in El Salvador peaked at 2,991 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 299.25, in 1986.
That places El Salvador 89th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Employment in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 1,220 | — |
| 1978 | 1,376 | +12.8% |
| 1979 | 1,440 | +4.6% |
| 1980 | 1,387 | -3.7% |
| 1985 | 1,373 | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 299.25 | -78.2% |
| 1988 | 716.5 | +139.4% |
| 1989 | 790.1 | +10.3% |
| 1990 | 884.9 | +12.0% |
| 1991 | 890.33 | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 1,782 | +100.1% |
| 1994 | 1,951 | +9.5% |
| 1995 | 1,973 | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 2,056 | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 2,076 | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 2,162 | +4.1% |
| 1999 | 2,183 | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 2,199 | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 2,275 | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 2,220 | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 2,281 | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 2,254 | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 2,284 | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 2,337 | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 2,419 | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 2,349 | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 2,365 | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 2,398 | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 2,466 | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 2,559 | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 2,630 | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 2,644 | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 2,667 | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 2,727 | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 2,752 | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 2,814 | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 2,908 | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 2,736 | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 2,765 | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 2,860 | +3.4% |
| 2023 | 2,947 | +3.0% |
| 2024 | 2,893 | -1.8% |
| 2025 | 2,991 | +3.4% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 2,991 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3,125, 96% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 2,991 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2,099, 1.4× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Employment 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | +139.4% | 299.25 | 716.5 |
| 1992 | +100.1% | 890.33 | 1,782 |
| 1986 | -78.2% | 1,373 | 299.25 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1,346 | 1,220 | 1,440 | 3 |
| 1980s | 913.21 | 299.25 | 1,387 | 5 |
| 1990s | 1,773 | 884.9 | 2,183 | 9 |
| 2000s | 2,298 | 2,199 | 2,419 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,657 | 2,398 | 2,908 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,865 | 2,736 | 2,991 | 6 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More work & labour data for El Salvador
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.8531 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.8121 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.893 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.72 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.2563 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 5,984 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,013 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,591 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,482 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,073 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in El Salvador?
- Employment in El Salvador was 2,991 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 2,991 in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 299.25 in 1986.
- How does El Salvador rank for employment?
- El Salvador ranks 89th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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