Share of population living in urban and rural areas in El Salvador
El Salvador: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 76.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in El Salvador, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
El Salvador recorded 76.1% for share of population living in urban and rural areas in 2020.
That represents a change of down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in El Salvador peaked at 77.1% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 52.8%, in 1950.
That places El Salvador 103rd out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 52.8% | — |
| 1955 | 55.7% | +5.5% |
| 1960 | 58.7% | +5.5% |
| 1965 | 62.0% | +5.6% |
| 1970 | 65.3% | +5.3% |
| 1975 | 67.9% | +4.1% |
| 1980 | 69.8% | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 72.0% | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 75.6% | +5.1% |
| 1995 | 77.0% | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 77.1% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 76.9% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 76.8% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 76.4% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 76.1% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 54.2% | 52.8% | 55.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 60.4% | 58.7% | 62.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 66.6% | 65.3% | 67.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 70.9% | 69.8% | 72.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 76.3% | 75.6% | 77.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 77.0% | 76.9% | 77.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 76.6% | 76.4% | 76.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 76.1% | 76.1% | 76.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
- 100 Turkmenistan 76.5% compare
- 101 New Zealand 76.3% compare
- 102 Canada 76.2% compare
- 104 Switzerland 76.0% compare
- 105 Iceland 75.9% compare
- 106 Cyprus 75.7% compare
More reference data data for El Salvador
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2714 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.6267 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0909 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.3176 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 8.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4948 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in El Salvador?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in El Salvador was 76.1% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 77.1% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.8% in 1950.
- How does El Salvador rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- El Salvador ranks 103rd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.