El Salvador — Labor participation
Labor Force Participation Rate for El Salvador, 1990–2025.
Labor participation for El Salvador was 62.11% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 36 years, from 1990 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 63.40% in 1994. The lowest was 56.52% in 2020 (about 1.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.03% per year.
El Salvador ranks 89 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 48%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 63.14%, so El Salvador sits below it. It peaked in 1994 and has fallen 2% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 6%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 18 of 31 economies; Argentina (61.91%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 6% in 2020. That is 4% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Climbed: 89th of 187 in 1990 → 88th of 187 in 2000 → 104th of 187 in 2010 → 120th of 187 in 2020 → 88th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1990 to 2025
| Year | % of population ages 15+ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 62.11% | +0.2 pp |
| 2024 | 61.92% | +0.4 pp |
| 2023 | 61.56% | +1.5 pp |
| 2022 | 60.08% | +0.9 pp |
| 2021 | 59.17% | +2.7 pp |
| 2020 | 56.52% | -3.4 pp |
| 2019 | 59.89% | +1.2 pp |
| 2018 | 58.73% | -0.3 pp |
| 2017 | 59.01% | -0.3 pp |
| 2016 | 59.26% | +0.6 pp |
| 2015 | 58.69% | -0.7 pp |
| 2014 | 59.4% | -1.1 pp |
| 2013 | 60.52% | +0.3 pp |
| 2012 | 60.2% | +0.6 pp |
| 2011 | 59.58% | -0.3 pp |
| 2010 | 59.89% | -0.5 pp |
| 2009 | 60.42% | -0.5 pp |
| 2008 | 60.92% | -0.5 pp |
| 2007 | 61.39% | +0.5 pp |
| 2006 | 60.92% | +0.3 pp |
| 2005 | 60.6% | +0.4 pp |
| 2004 | 60.24% | -1.5 pp |
| 2003 | 61.77% | +1.4 pp |
| 2002 | 60.35% | -0.6 pp |
| 2001 | 60.95% | -0.6 pp |
| 2000 | 61.54% | -0.6 pp |
| 1999 | 62.13% | -0.5 pp |
| 1998 | 62.63% | +2.1 pp |
| 1997 | 60.51% | -0.3 pp |
| 1996 | 60.81% | -1.6 pp |
| 1995 | 62.37% | -1.0 pp |
| 1994 | 63.4% | +0.8 pp |
| 1993 | 62.57% | +0.9 pp |
| 1992 | 61.71% | +0.1 pp |
| 1991 | 61.58% | +0.0 pp |
| 1990 | 61.56% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was El Salvador’s Labor participation in 1991?
61.58% (1991). 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 population ages 15+, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is El Salvador’s Labor participation growing or shrinking?
Between 1990 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +0.9% in total.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.TLF.CACT.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: 2025: 62.11%; 2024: 61.92%; 2023: 61.56%; 2022: 60.08%; 2021: 59.17%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.TLF.CACT.ZS — Labor Force Participation Rate. 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.