El Salvador: Labor force, total

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, El Salvador's labor force, total rose 1.3% on 2024 (from 2.95 million to 2.99 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +1.1% and a typical year strayed about 2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 5.5% in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 5% in 2020. 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 40,632 a year. A straight line explains 79% 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 107th highest value of the 182 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

• Norway — 103rd of 182: 3.09 million
• Bulgaria — 104th of 182: 3.09 million
• New Zealand — 105th of 182: 3.08 million
• Togo — 107th of 182: 2.96 million
• Sierra Leone — 108th of 182: 2.93 million
• Kuwait — 109th of 182: 2.93 million

What this measures

Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.

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

All 36 values

Labor force, total in nearby economies

• Argentina — 22.42 million (2025)
• Bahamas, The — 245,159 (2025)
• Barbados — 151,620 (2025)
• Belize — 184,286 (2025)
• Bolivia — 6.98 million (2025)
• Brazil — 108.32 million (2025)
• Chile — 10.33 million (2025)
• Colombia — 27.1 million (2025)
• Costa Rica — 2.43 million (2025)
• Cuba — 4.86 million (2025)
• Dominican Republic — 5.51 million (2025)
• Ecuador — 8.98 million (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 labor force, total?

2.99 million in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 54.38% from 1.94 million in 1990 (1.25% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 2.99 million in 2025 and the lowest 1.94 million in 1990.

How does El Salvador rank?

107th highest of 182 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in labor force, total unusual for El Salvador?

In 2025, El Salvador's labor force, total rose 1.3% on 2024 (from 2.95 million to 2.99 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +1.1% and a typical year strayed about 2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.TLF.TOTL.IN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database; United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division; Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) 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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