Population and Demographics

El Salvador's population numbers about 6.9 million people. 90% are mestizo (mixed Amerindian and Spanish/European), 9% white (mostly Spanish, but also some French, German and Italian descent), and only 1% indigenous. Very few Amerindians have retained their native customs, traditions or languages, especially in the wake of the deliberate government-inspired 1932 massacres.

El Salvador is the only Central American country that has no visible native African population because of its relative inaccessibility to the Atlantic slave trade. In addition, General Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez instituted race laws in 1930 that prohibited blacks from entering the country.

The capital city of San Salvador has about 2.1 million people; an estimated 42% of El Salvador's population live in rural areas. Urbanisation expanded at a phenomenal rate in El Salvador since the 1960s, driving millions to the cities, and creating growth problems for the cities around the country.

Spanish is the language spoken by virtually all inhabitants, although English is spoken by a small number of people in the capital. The country's people are majority Roman Catholic, at least nominally, although Protestantism is rapidly growing and by some estimates is now practiced by as much as one-third of the population.

As of 2004, there were approximately 3.1 million Salvadorians living outside El Salvador, many of whom are immigrants in the United States. Salvadorians also live in nearby Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Other countries with notable Salvadorian communities include Canada, Mexico, the Cayman Islands, throughout Europe and Australia.

Facts and Figures

• Population: 6,822,378
• Age Structure:
  • 0-14 years: 36.3% (male 1,265,080/female 1,212,216)
  • 15-64 years: 58.5% (male 1,900,372/female 2,092,251)
  • 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 156,292/female 196,167)
• Median Age:
  • Total: 21.8 years
  • Male: 20.7 years
  • Female: 22.9 years
• Population Growth Rate: 1.72%
• Birth Rate: 26.61 births/1,000 population
• Death Rate: 5.78 deaths/1,000 population
• Net Migration Rate: -3.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population
• Sex Ratio:
  • At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  • Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
  • 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
  • Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female
• Infant Mortality Rate:
  • Total: 24.39 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Male: 27.27 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Female: 21.37 deaths/1,000 live births
• Life Expectancy at Birth:
  • Total population: 71.49 years
  • Male: 67.88 years
  • Female: 75.28 years
• Total Fertility Rate: 3.12 children born/woman
• HIV/AIDS:
  • Adult prevalence rate: 0.7%
  • People living with HIV/AIDS: 29,000
• Ethnic Groups:
  • Mestizo 90%
  • White 9%
  • Amerindian 1%
• Religions:
  • Roman Catholic 83%
  • Other 17%
• Languages:
  • Spanish
  • Nahua (among some Amerindians)
• Literacy:
  • Total population: 80.2%
  • Male: 82.8%
  • Female: 77.7%