Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) in El Salvador
El Salvador: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) was 2.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in El Salvador, 1980–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in El Salvador is 2.7%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 8.8% on the previous year and down 39.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in El Salvador peaked at 12.4% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 2024.
El Salvador ranks 146th of 181 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 11.0% | — |
| 1985 | 12.4% | +13.3% |
| 1986 | 7.5% | -39.9% |
| 1988 | 11.0% | +46.8% |
| 1989 | 9.5% | -13.1% |
| 1990 | 10.1% | +5.8% |
| 1991 | 8.3% | -17.8% |
| 1992 | 2.5% | -70.1% |
| 1993 | 11.8% | +374.2% |
| 1994 | 8.4% | -28.2% |
| 1995 | 8.7% | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 8.0% | -8.1% |
| 1997 | 9.2% | +14.8% |
| 1998 | 8.0% | -13.0% |
| 1999 | 8.4% | +5.2% |
| 2000 | 9.1% | +7.7% |
| 2001 | 8.1% | -10.4% |
| 2002 | 8.1% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 9.2% | +13.6% |
| 2004 | 8.7% | -5.4% |
| 2005 | 8.6% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 8.4% | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 8.3% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 7.5% | -10.0% |
| 2009 | 9.0% | +20.9% |
| 2010 | 5.4% | -40.0% |
| 2011 | 4.9% | -9.2% |
| 2012 | 4.2% | -14.1% |
| 2013 | 4.0% | -6.4% |
| 2014 | 4.9% | +23.5% |
| 2015 | 4.4% | -10.6% |
| 2016 | 4.8% | +10.5% |
| 2017 | 4.7% | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 4.2% | -10.0% |
| 2019 | 4.0% | -4.0% |
| 2020 | 4.7% | +17.3% |
| 2021 | 4.0% | -14.8% |
| 2022 | 2.8% | -30.8% |
| 2023 | 2.7% | -2.3% |
| 2024 | 2.4% | -9.9% |
| 2025 | 2.7% | +8.8% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 2.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.4%, 50% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 2.7% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 5.2%, 51% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +374.2% | 2.5% | 11.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.3% | 7.5% | 12.4% | 5 |
| 1990s | 8.3% | 2.5% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.5% | 7.5% | 9.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.5% | 4.0% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.2% | 2.4% | 4.7% | 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 unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in El Salvador?
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in El Salvador was 2.7% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 12.4% in 1985.
- What is the lowest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 2024.
- How does El Salvador rank for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- El Salvador ranks 146th out of 181 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.