El Salvador — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for El Salvador, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for El Salvador was 3.30% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 9.94% in 1993. The lowest was 2.99% in 2023 (about 1.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -2.39% per year.
El Salvador ranks 137 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 73%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 5.99%, so El Salvador sits below it. It peaked in 1993 and has fallen 67% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 17%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 26 of 31 economies; Jamaica (3.29%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 33% in 2010. That is 15% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 77th of 187 in 1991 → 93rd of 187 in 2000 → 122nd of 187 in 2010 → 124th of 187 in 2020 → 132nd of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.3% | +0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 3.26% | +0.3 pp |
| 2023 | 2.99% | -0.0 pp |
| 2022 | 3% | -1.3 pp |
| 2021 | 4.33% | -0.7 pp |
| 2020 | 5.01% | +0.8 pp |
| 2019 | 4.17% | +0.2 pp |
| 2018 | 4.01% | -0.4 pp |
| 2017 | 4.39% | -0.0 pp |
| 2016 | 4.42% | +0.4 pp |
| 2015 | 4% | -0.2 pp |
| 2014 | 4.15% | +0.5 pp |
| 2013 | 3.69% | -0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 3.84% | -0.5 pp |
| 2011 | 4.3% | -0.6 pp |
| 2010 | 4.89% | -2.4 pp |
| 2009 | 7.33% | +1.5 pp |
| 2008 | 5.88% | -0.5 pp |
| 2007 | 6.41% | -0.2 pp |
| 2006 | 6.57% | -0.6 pp |
| 2005 | 7.22% | +0.4 pp |
| 2004 | 6.8% | -0.1 pp |
| 2003 | 6.9% | +0.7 pp |
| 2002 | 6.2% | -0.8 pp |
| 2001 | 6.96% | +0.0 pp |
| 2000 | 6.96% | -0.3 pp |
| 1999 | 7.3% | +0.2 pp |
| 1998 | 7.1% | -0.9 pp |
| 1997 | 7.98% | +0.3 pp |
| 1996 | 7.68% | +0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 7.65% | -0.0 pp |
| 1994 | 7.68% | -2.3 pp |
| 1993 | 9.94% | +2.1 pp |
| 1992 | 7.88% | +0.3 pp |
| 1991 | 7.53% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was El Salvador’s Unemployment in 1992?
7.88% (1992). 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 total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is El Salvador’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -56.1% in total — about 2.4% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.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: 3.3%; 2024: 3.26%; 2023: 2.99%; 2022: 3%; 2021: 4.33%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment 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.