Personal remittances and foreign aid received in El Salvador

El Salvador: Personal remittances and foreign aid received was 7.62 billion current US$ in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
7.62 billion current US$
Change on year
up 28.5%
World rank
26th
of 193 countries
All-time high
7.62 billion current US$
in 2021
All-time low
10.60 million current US$
in 1976
Years of data
46
1976–2021

Personal remittances and foreign aid received in El Salvador, 1976–2021

02.0B4.0B6.0B8.0B197619982021

Source: World Bank based on International Monetary Fund balance of payments data (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in current US$.

Analysis

El Salvador recorded 7.62 billion current US$ for personal remittances and foreign aid received in 2021. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.

That represents a change of up 28.5% on the previous year and up 109.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, personal remittances and foreign aid received in El Salvador peaked at 7.62 billion current US$ in 2021 and was at its lowest, 10.60 million current US$, in 1976.

El Salvador ranks 26th of 193 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 58.11 million current US$ 10.60 million current US$ 100.00 million current US$ 4
1980s 145.79 million current US$ 49.04 million current US$ 237.82 million current US$ 10
1990s 937.49 million current US$ 366.28 million current US$ 1.39 billion current US$ 10
2000s 2.77 billion current US$ 1.76 billion current US$ 3.75 billion current US$ 10
2010s 4.40 billion current US$ 3.47 billion current US$ 5.66 billion current US$ 10
2020s 6.78 billion current US$ 5.93 billion current US$ 7.62 billion current US$ 2

Countries ranked near El Salvador

  1. 23 Nepal 8.23 billion current US$ compare
  2. 24 Poland 7.93 billion current US$ compare
  3. 25 South Korea 7.79 billion current US$ compare
  4. 27 Honduras 7.20 billion current US$ compare
  5. 28 United States 7.09 billion current US$ compare
  6. 29 Lebanon 6.35 billion current US$ compare

See the full ranking of 193 places →

More reference data data for El Salvador

All data for El Salvador →

Frequently asked questions

What is personal remittances and foreign aid received in El Salvador?
Personal remittances and foreign aid received in El Salvador was 7.62 billion current US$ in 2021, according to World Bank based on International Monetary Fund balance of payments data (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest personal remittances and foreign aid received recorded in El Salvador?
The highest recorded value was 7.62 billion current US$ in 2021.
What is the lowest personal remittances and foreign aid received recorded in El Salvador?
The lowest recorded value was 10.60 million current US$ in 1976.
How does El Salvador rank for personal remittances and foreign aid received?
El Salvador ranks 26th out of 193 countries with data for 2021.
Is personal remittances and foreign aid received rising or falling in El Salvador?
Over the last ten years it is up 109.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this El Salvador data come from?
The figures come from World Bank based on International Monetary Fund balance of payments data (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Personal remittances and foreign aid received. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Personal remittances and foreign aid received
Unit
current US$
Source
World Bank based on International Monetary Fund balance of payments data (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
193 places, 6,518 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed

Remittances are financial transfers from non-residents to residents of a country, such as a worker abroad sending money to family and friends. Foreign aid is measured as official development assistance. Both are measured in current US$.