Total reserves in El Salvador
El Salvador: Total reserves was 14.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Total reserves in El Salvador, 1971–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total external debt.
Analysis
El Salvador recorded 14.8% for total reserves in 2024.
That represents a change of up 10.2% on the previous year and down 16.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total reserves in El Salvador peaked at 52.8% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 12.7%, in 2022.
That places El Salvador 93rd out of 112 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 54 years of available data.
Total reserves in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % of total external debt | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 29.3% | — |
| 1972 | 34.3% | +17.0% |
| 1973 | 33.9% | -1.3% |
| 1974 | 40.1% | +18.4% |
| 1975 | 35.6% | -11.1% |
| 1976 | 44.2% | +24.0% |
| 1977 | 36.1% | -18.3% |
| 1978 | 38.2% | +5.8% |
| 1979 | 41.4% | +8.3% |
| 1980 | 38.3% | -7.4% |
| 1981 | 22.7% | -40.7% |
| 1982 | 22.4% | -1.3% |
| 1983 | 18.4% | -17.8% |
| 1984 | 16.1% | -12.6% |
| 1985 | 17.1% | +6.2% |
| 1986 | 18.1% | +5.6% |
| 1987 | 19.9% | +10.4% |
| 1988 | 16.9% | -15.3% |
| 1989 | 20.9% | +23.9% |
| 1990 | 26.7% | +27.6% |
| 1991 | 19.9% | -25.3% |
| 1992 | 24.6% | +23.6% |
| 1993 | 36.1% | +46.5% |
| 1994 | 38.3% | +6.1% |
| 1995 | 36.6% | -4.6% |
| 1996 | 38.6% | +5.7% |
| 1997 | 45.1% | +16.6% |
| 1998 | 52.8% | +17.1% |
| 1999 | 52.0% | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 41.9% | -19.3% |
| 2001 | 32.2% | -23.1% |
| 2002 | 26.7% | -17.1% |
| 2003 | 23.1% | -13.7% |
| 2004 | 21.2% | -8.2% |
| 2005 | 19.2% | -9.1% |
| 2006 | 19.7% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 23.3% | +18.5% |
| 2008 | 24.7% | +6.0% |
| 2009 | 30.0% | +21.2% |
| 2010 | 25.1% | -16.4% |
| 2011 | 19.6% | -21.9% |
| 2012 | 23.4% | +19.7% |
| 2013 | 19.4% | -17.1% |
| 2014 | 17.7% | -8.6% |
| 2015 | 17.9% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 19.5% | +9.4% |
| 2017 | 20.7% | +6.3% |
| 2018 | 21.4% | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 25.6% | +19.7% |
| 2020 | 16.7% | -34.8% |
| 2021 | 16.8% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 12.7% | -24.5% |
| 2023 | 13.5% | +5.9% |
| 2024 | 14.8% | +10.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 37.0% | 29.3% | 44.2% | 9 |
| 1980s | 21.1% | 16.1% | 38.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 37.1% | 19.9% | 52.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.2% | 19.2% | 41.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.0% | 17.7% | 25.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.9% | 12.7% | 16.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More financial sector data for El Salvador
- Net domestic credit (current LCU), per capita 3,882 current LCU per person (2025)
- Net domestic credit (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.6732 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Net domestic credit (current LCU), annual growth rate 5.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gold reserves at 35 SDRs per ounce 2.03 million SDR (2025)
- Gold reserves at market value 185.32 million SDR (2025)
- Reserves excluding gold, foreign exchange 3.17 billion SDR (2025)
- Reserves excluding gold 3.33 billion SDR (2025)
- Total reserves (gold at market value) 3.52 billion SDR (2025)
- Total reserves (gold at national valuation) 3.51 billion SDR (2025)
- Total reserves (gold at national valuation) (SDR), per capita 552.09 SDR per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total reserves in El Salvador?
- Total reserves in El Salvador was 14.8% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest total reserves recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 52.8% in 1998.
- What is the lowest total reserves recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.7% in 2022.
- How does El Salvador rank for total reserves?
- El Salvador ranks 93rd out of 112 countries with data for 2024.
- Is total reserves rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as part of Total reserves (% of total external debt). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Reserve assets are external assets, including monetary gold, that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing). Reserve assets must be denominated and settled in foreign currency. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of total external debt which are all liabilities that require payment(s) of interest and/or principal by the debtor at some point(s) in the future and that are owed to non-residents by residents of an economy.