El Salvador — Life expectancy
Life Expectancy at Birth for El Salvador, 1960–2024.
Life expectancy for El Salvador was 72.3 in 2024, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 65 years, from 1960 to 2024. The latest year is also the highest value on record for this series. The lowest was 48.3 in 1960 (about 1.5× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.63% per year.
El Salvador ranks 135 of 217 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 62%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 76.0, so El Salvador sits below it. Over the last decade (2014–2024) the figure moved up 2%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 35 of 42 economies; St. Kitts and Nevis (72.3) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 10% in 1980.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 110 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 145th of 215 in 1960 → 161st of 216 in 1970 → 187th of 216 in 1980 → 150th of 217 in 1990 → 131st of 217 in 2000 → 124th of 217 in 2010 → 141st of 217 in 2020 → 135th of 217 in 2024.
Key figures
Full history — 1960 to 2024
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 72.3 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 72.1 | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 71.97 | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 69.94 | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 70.24 | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 71.72 | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 71.38 | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 71.01 | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 70.91 | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 70.95 | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 71.14 | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 71.22 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 71.42 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 71.19 | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 70.91 | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 70.36 | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 70.14 | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 69.82 | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 69.61 | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 69.34 | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 69.3 | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 68.79 | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 68.53 | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 67.97 | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 67.71 | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 67.29 | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 66.66 | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 66.25 | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 65.48 | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 64.9 | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 64.47 | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 64 | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 62.94 | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 62.54 | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 61.98 | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 61.25 | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 59.98 | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 59.4 | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 59.33 | +2.2% |
| 1985 | 58.03 | +2.6% |
| 1984 | 56.57 | +4.0% |
| 1983 | 54.37 | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 53.34 | +4.8% |
| 1981 | 50.89 | +4.7% |
| 1980 | 48.59 | -9.7% |
| 1979 | 53.81 | -1.7% |
| 1978 | 54.71 | +1.2% |
| 1977 | 54.05 | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 54.38 | +1.8% |
| 1975 | 53.42 | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 52.89 | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 52.78 | +1.6% |
| 1972 | 51.96 | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 51.67 | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 51.36 | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 51.28 | +0.9% |
| 1968 | 50.84 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | 50.84 | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 50.67 | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 50.21 | +0.9% |
| 1964 | 49.75 | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 49.38 | +0.8% |
| 1962 | 49 | +0.8% |
| 1961 | 48.63 | +0.7% |
| 1960 | 48.29 | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was El Salvador’s Life expectancy in 1961?
48.63 (1961). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are El Salvador’s Life expectancy figures nominal or inflation-adjusted?
They are exactly as the World Bank publishes them — years — with no inflation restatement and no PPP conversion. Years the source does not report are omitted rather than interpolated.
Is El Salvador’s Life expectancy growing or shrinking?
Between 1960 and 2024 the series was growing overall: +49.7% in total — about 0.6% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SP.DYN.LE00.IN. 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: 2024: 72.3; 2023: 72.1; 2022: 71.97; 2021: 69.94; 2020: 70.24. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SP.DYN.LE00.IN — Life Expectancy at Birth. 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.