El Salvador: Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, El Salvador's net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) rose 235.76 million on 2023 (from -953.86 million to -718.1 million).

Across the 25 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2023), the average change was −38.58 million and a typical year strayed about 687.09 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 1.68 billion in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.28 billion 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 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 20% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2024, El Salvador had the 29th highest value of the 90 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 2024 ranking

• Tajikistan — 26th of 90: -379.54 million
• Slovenia — 27th of 90: -397.61 million
• Estonia — 28th of 90: -527.8 million
• Latvia — 30th of 90: -798.05 million
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 31st of 90: -804.04 million
• Malta — 32nd of 90: -808.4 million

What this measures

Net lending (+) / net borrowing (–) equals government revenue minus expense, minus net investment in nonfinancial assets. It is also equal to the net result of transactions in financial assets and liabilities. Net lending/net borrowing is a summary measure indicating the extent to which government is either putting financial resources at the disposal of other sectors in the economy or abroad, or utilizing the financial resources generated by other sectors in the economy or from abroad. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

All 27 values

Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 449.43 billion (2024)
• Bahamas, The — -194.07 million (2024)
• Barbados — -471.26 million (2016)
• Belize — -52.73 million (2017)
• Brazil — -670.3 billion (2024)
• Chile — -8.66 trillion (2024)
• Colombia — -79.43 trillion (2024)
• Costa Rica — -252.19 billion (2024)
• Dominican Republic — -214.21 billion (2024)
• Ecuador

More public sector data for El Salvador

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 490 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 490 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.34% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 3 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 4.39% (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 42,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 1.62% (2020)
• Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 7.9 (2022)
• Net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU) — 141.5 million (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is El Salvador's net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU)?

-718.1 million in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1998?

It is down 6,843% from 10.65 million in 1998. The highest value was 259.47 million in 2000 and the lowest -2.52 billion in 2020.

How does El Salvador rank?

29th highest of 90 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) unusual for El Salvador?

In 2024, El Salvador's net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) rose 235.76 million on 2023 (from -953.86 million to -718.1 million). Across the 25 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2023), the average change was −38.58 million and a typical year strayed about 687.09 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 GC.NLD.TOTL.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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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