Arrivals of tourists from abroad in El Salvador

El Salvador: Arrivals of tourists from abroad was 3.19 million arrivals in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
3.19 million arrivals
Change on year
up 28.6%
World rank
63rd
of 203 countries
All-time high
3.19 million arrivals
in 2024
All-time low
235,000 arrivals
in 1995
Years of data
30
1995–2024

Arrivals of tourists from abroad in El Salvador, 1995–2024

01.0M2.0M3.0M1995200920241995: 235.0k arrivals1996: 283.0k arrivals1997: 387.0k arrivals1998: 542.0k arrivals1999: 658.0k arrivals2000: 795.0k arrivals2001: 735.0k arrivals2002: 798.0k arrivals2003: 720.0k arrivals2004: 951.0k arrivals2005: 1.1M arrivals2006: 1.3M arrivals2007: 1.3M arrivals2008: 1.4M arrivals2009: 1.1M arrivals2010: 1.1M arrivals2011: 1.2M arrivals2012: 1.3M arrivals2013: 1.3M arrivals2014: 1.3M arrivals2015: 1.4M arrivals2016: 1.4M arrivals2017: 1.6M arrivals2018: 1.7M arrivals2019: 1.8M arrivals2020: 549.0k arrivals2021: 1.2M arrivals2022: 1.9M arrivals2023: 2.5M arrivals2024: 3.2M arrivals

Source: UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in arrivals.

Analysis

El Salvador recorded 3.19 million arrivals for arrivals of tourists from abroad in 2024. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.

The figure is up 28.6% on the previous year and up 137.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, arrivals of tourists from abroad in El Salvador peaked at 3.19 million arrivals in 2024 and was at its lowest, 235,000 arrivals, in 1995.

El Salvador ranks 63rd of 203 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Arrivals of tourists from abroad in El Salvador, year by year

Annual values for Arrivals of tourists from abroad in El Salvador, 1995 to 2024.
Year arrivals Change
1995 235,000 arrivals
1996 283,000 arrivals +20.4%
1997 387,000 arrivals +36.7%
1998 542,000 arrivals +40.1%
1999 658,000 arrivals +21.4%
2000 795,000 arrivals +20.8%
2001 735,000 arrivals -7.5%
2002 798,000 arrivals +8.6%
2003 720,000 arrivals -9.8%
2004 951,000 arrivals +32.1%
2005 1.13 million arrivals +18.5%
2006 1.28 million arrivals +13.5%
2007 1.34 million arrivals +4.7%
2008 1.39 million arrivals +3.4%
2009 1.09 million arrivals -21.2%
2010 1.15 million arrivals +5.4%
2011 1.18 million arrivals +3.0%
2012 1.25 million arrivals +6.0%
2013 1.28 million arrivals +2.2%
2014 1.34 million arrivals +4.8%
2015 1.40 million arrivals +4.2%
2016 1.43 million arrivals +2.3%
2017 1.56 million arrivals +8.5%
2018 1.68 million arrivals +7.8%
2019 1.77 million arrivals +5.3%
2020 549,000 arrivals -68.9%
2021 1.22 million arrivals +122.0%
2022 1.89 million arrivals +55.1%
2023 2.48 million arrivals +31.1%
2024 3.19 million arrivals +28.6%

El Salvador compared with similar countries

  • El Salvador's 3.19 million arrivals is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.49 million arrivals, 2.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
  • El Salvador's 3.19 million arrivals is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 770,950 arrivals, 4.1× the median. (40 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Arrivals of tourists from abroad 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.

YearChange FromTo
2021 +122.0% 549,000 arrivals 1.22 million arrivals

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 421,000 arrivals 235,000 arrivals 658,000 arrivals 5
2000s 1.02 million arrivals 720,000 arrivals 1.39 million arrivals 10
2010s 1.41 million arrivals 1.15 million arrivals 1.77 million arrivals 10
2020s 1.87 million arrivals 549,000 arrivals 3.19 million arrivals 5

Countries ranked near El Salvador

  1. 60 Cyprus 4.04 million arrivals compare
  2. 61 Czechia 3.77 million arrivals compare
  3. 62 Malta 3.56 million arrivals compare
  4. 64 New Zealand 3.18 million arrivals compare
  5. 65 Uruguay 3.06 million arrivals compare
  6. 66 Costa Rica 2.92 million arrivals compare

See the full ranking of 203 places →

More reference data data for El Salvador

All data for El Salvador →

Frequently asked questions

What is arrivals of tourists from abroad in El Salvador?
Arrivals of tourists from abroad in El Salvador was 3.19 million arrivals in 2024, according to UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest arrivals of tourists from abroad recorded in El Salvador?
The highest recorded value was 3.19 million arrivals in 2024.
What is the lowest arrivals of tourists from abroad recorded in El Salvador?
The lowest recorded value was 235,000 arrivals in 1995.
How does El Salvador rank for arrivals of tourists from abroad?
El Salvador ranks 63rd out of 203 countries with data for 2024.
Is arrivals of tourists from abroad rising or falling in El Salvador?
Over the last ten years it is up 137.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this El Salvador data come from?
The figures come from UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Arrivals of tourists from abroad. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Arrivals of tourists from abroad in El Salvador. Statizoid, drawing on UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/international-tourist-trips/el-salvador/

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About this data

Indicator
Arrivals of tourists from abroad
Unit
arrivals
Source
UN Tourism (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
203 places, 5,187 data points, 1995–2024
Last refreshed

Number of trips by visitors who arrive from abroad and stay overnight.