State Capacity Index in El Salvador

El Salvador: State Capacity Index was 0.4873 in 2015. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2015)
0.4873
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
83rd
of 166 countries
All-time high
0.5484
in 2013
All-time low
-0.6029
in 1986
Years of data
56
1960–2015

State Capacity Index in El Salvador, 1960–2015

-0.5-0.2500.250.5196019872015

Source: Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for state capacity index in El Salvador is 0.4873, measured in 2015.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.6% on the previous year and up 62.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, state capacity index in El Salvador peaked at 0.5484 in 2013 and was at its lowest, -0.6029, in 1986.

That places El Salvador 83rd out of 166 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

State Capacity Index in El Salvador, year by year

Annual values for State Capacity Index in El Salvador, 1960 to 2015.
Year Value Change
1960 -0.1639
1961 -0.043 -73.7%
1962 0.0196 -145.6%
1963 0.0047 -76.2%
1964 0.014 +199.4%
1965 0.0153 +9.5%
1966 0.0317 +107.3%
1967 -0.0068 -121.5%
1968 -0.0375 +450.7%
1969 -0.0442 +17.9%
1970 -0.18 +307.1%
1971 -0.3255 +80.8%
1972 -0.483 +48.4%
1973 -0.3865 -20.0%
1974 -0.5477 +41.7%
1975 -0.3668 -33.0%
1976 -0.5329 +45.3%
1977 -0.4235 -20.5%
1978 -0.3365 -20.5%
1979 -0.4043 +20.1%
1980 -0.5226 +29.3%
1981 -0.5278 +1.0%
1982 -0.4941 -6.4%
1983 -0.4454 -9.9%
1984 -0.5239 +17.6%
1985 -0.504 -3.8%
1986 -0.6029 +19.6%
1987 -0.5124 -15.0%
1988 -0.5278 +3.0%
1989 -0.5691 +7.8%
1990 -0.5894 +3.6%
1991 -0.5726 -2.9%
1992 -0.2929 -48.8%
1993 0.0336 -111.5%
1994 0.0607 +80.8%
1995 0.1903 +213.5%
1996 0.2275 +19.5%
1997 0.1296 -43.0%
1998 0.1397 +7.8%
1999 0.2727 +95.2%
2000 0.1847 -32.3%
2001 0.1726 -6.6%
2002 0.1697 -1.7%
2003 0.145 -14.6%
2004 0.2812 +93.9%
2005 0.2998 +6.6%
2006 0.2671 -10.9%
2007 0.2973 +11.3%
2008 0.3503 +17.8%
2009 0.4246 +21.2%
2010 0.5139 +21.0%
2011 0.4818 -6.2%
2012 0.5139 +6.7%
2013 0.5484 +6.7%
2014 0.5005 -8.7%
2015 0.4873 -2.6%

El Salvador compared with similar countries

  • El Salvador's 0.4873 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5986, 81% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • El Salvador's 0.4873 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.5648, 86% of the median. (24 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where State Capacity Index 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
1968 -450.7% -0.0068 -0.0375
1970 -307.1% -0.0442 -0.18
1995 +213.5% 0.0607 0.1903
1964 +199.4% 0.0047 0.014

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s -0.021 -0.1639 0.0317 10
1970s -0.3987 -0.5477 -0.18 10
1980s -0.523 -0.6029 -0.4454 10
1990s -0.0401 -0.5894 0.2727 10
2000s 0.2592 0.145 0.4246 10
2010s 0.5076 0.4818 0.5484 6

Countries ranked near El Salvador

  1. 80 Albania 0.5549 compare
  2. 81 Iran 0.5043 compare
  3. 82 Bolivia 0.5021 compare
  4. 84 Cape Verde 0.486 compare
  5. 85 USSR 0.4764 compare
  6. 86 Bahrain 0.4698 compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More reference data data for El Salvador

All data for El Salvador →

Frequently asked questions

What is state capacity index in El Salvador?
State capacity index in El Salvador was 0.4873 in 2015, according to Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest state capacity index recorded in El Salvador?
The highest recorded value was 0.5484 in 2013.
What is the lowest state capacity index recorded in El Salvador?
The lowest recorded value was -0.6029 in 1986.
How does El Salvador rank for state capacity index?
El Salvador ranks 83rd out of 166 countries with data for 2015.
Is state capacity index rising or falling in El Salvador?
Over the last ten years it is up 62.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this El Salvador data come from?
The figures come from Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of State Capacity Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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State Capacity Index in El Salvador. Statizoid, drawing on Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/state-capacity-index/el-salvador/

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About this data

Indicator
State Capacity Index
Source
Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
166 places, 8,015 data points, 1960–2015
Last refreshed

Measures state capacity by combining 21 different indicators related to three key dimensions: extractive capacity, coercive capacity, and administrative capacity. Higher values indicate greater state capacity.