El Salvador — Health spending
Health Spending (% of GDP) for El Salvador, 2000–2023.
Health spending for El Salvador was 9.29% in 2023, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 24 years, from 2000 to 2023. The highest recorded value was 10.13% in 2021. The lowest was 7.77% in 2003 (about 1.2× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.74% per year.
El Salvador ranks 39 of 189 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 21%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 6.87%, so El Salvador sits above it. It peaked in 2021 and has fallen 8% since. Over the last decade (2013–2023) the figure moved up 3%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 5 of 32 economies; Uruguay (9.02%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 13% in 2005. That is 3% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 94 years at that pace.
World ranking. Slipped: 27th of 184 in 2000 → 34th of 188 in 2010 → 53rd of 189 in 2020 → 39th of 188 in 2023.
Key figures
Full history — 2000 to 2023
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 9.29% | -0.5 pp |
| 2022 | 9.82% | -0.3 pp |
| 2021 | 10.13% | +1.2 pp |
| 2020 | 8.95% | +0.1 pp |
| 2019 | 8.81% | +0.5 pp |
| 2018 | 8.32% | -0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 8.42% | -0.3 pp |
| 2016 | 8.71% | -0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 8.76% | +0.2 pp |
| 2014 | 8.6% | -0.5 pp |
| 2013 | 9.05% | +0.4 pp |
| 2012 | 8.61% | -0.3 pp |
| 2011 | 8.88% | -0.0 pp |
| 2010 | 8.9% | +0.1 pp |
| 2009 | 8.84% | +0.3 pp |
| 2008 | 8.5% | +0.0 pp |
| 2007 | 8.48% | -0.2 pp |
| 2006 | 8.69% | -0.5 pp |
| 2005 | 9.2% | +1.1 pp |
| 2004 | 8.13% | +0.4 pp |
| 2003 | 7.77% | -0.1 pp |
| 2002 | 7.89% | -0.0 pp |
| 2001 | 7.89% | +0.0 pp |
| 2000 | 7.84% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was El Salvador’s Health spending in 2001?
7.89% (2001). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is El Salvador’s Health spending growing or shrinking?
Between 2000 and 2023 the series was growing overall: +18.4% in total — about 0.7% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2023: 9.29%; 2022: 9.82%; 2021: 10.13%; 2020: 8.95%; 2019: 8.81%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS — Health Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.