El Salvador: GDP per person employed (constant 2021 PPP $)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, El Salvador's GDP per person employed (constant 2021 PPP $) rose 675.97 on 2024 (from 25,859 to 26,535).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +211.96 and a typical year strayed about 403.82 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1,295 in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 681.21 in 1998. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 213.93 a year. A straight line explains 80% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, El Salvador had the 114th highest value of the 168 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to El Salvador in the 2025 ranking

• Moldova — 111th of 168: 29,824
• Viet Nam — 112th of 168: 27,957
• Cabo Verde — 113th of 168: 27,490
• India — 115th of 168: 24,842
• Philippines — 116th of 168: 24,593
• Angola — 117th of 168: 24,396

What this measures

GDP per person employed is gross domestic product (GDP) divided by total employment in the economy. Purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP is GDP converted to 2021 constant international dollars using PPP rates. An international dollar has the same purchasing power over GDP that a U.S. dollar has in the United States.

Limitations: For comparability of individual sectors labor productivity is estimated according to national accounts conventions. However, there are still significant limitations on the availability of reliable data. Information on consistent series of output in both national currencies and purchasing power parity dollars is not easily available, especially in developing countries, because the definition, coverage, and methodology are not always consistent across countries. For example, countries employ different methodologies for estimating the missing values for the nonmarket service sectors and use different definitions of the informal sector.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 35 values

GDP per person employed (constant 2021 PPP $) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 61,326 (2025)
• Bahamas, The — 65,604 (2024)
• Barbados — 44,125 (2025)
• Belize — 32,201 (2025)
• Bolivia — 20,435 (2025)
• Brazil — 41,840 (2025)
• Chile — 65,211 (2025)
• Colombia — 40,369 (2025)
• Costa Rica — 64,823 (2025)
• Dominican Republic — 54,043 (2025)

More social protection & labor data for El Salvador

• Net migration — -23,934 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 68,182 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 182 (2025)
• Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) — 2.93% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 48.63% (2025)
• Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate) — 63.26% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 76.87% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is El Salvador's GDP per person employed (constant 2021 PPP $)?

26,535 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1991?

It is up 47.93% from 17,938 in 1991 (1.16% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 26,535 in 2025 and the lowest 17,938 in 1991.

How does El Salvador rank?

114th highest of 168 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in GDP per person employed (constant 2021 PPP $) unusual for El Salvador?

In 2025, El Salvador's GDP per person employed (constant 2021 PPP $) rose 675.97 on 2024 (from 25,859 to 26,535). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +211.96 and a typical year strayed about 403.82 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.GDP.PCAP.EM.KD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), note: Estimates are based on employment, population, GDP, and PPP data obtained from International Labour Organization, United Nations Population Division, Eurostat, OECD, and World Bank., type: estimates based on external database; International Labour Organization… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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