El Salvador vs Guatemala
El Salvador vs Guatemala: GDP growth
GDP growth in 2025: 3.9% a year in El Salvador and 4.3% a year in Guatemala, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Guatemala, by 0.4 percentage points, or 1.1 times that in El Salvador.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Guatemala has been higher since 2022, when it overtook El Salvador.
- In 2025, El Salvador ranked 54 and Guatemala ranked 50 of 143 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts El Salvador at 3.3% a year and Guatemala at 3.9% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | El Salvador | Guatemala |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.9 | 4.3 |
| 2024 | 2.6 | 3.7 |
| 2023 | 3.4 | 3.5 |
| 2022 | 2.9 | 4.2 |
| 2021 | 11.9 | 8 |
| 2020 | -7.9 | -1.8 |
| 2019 | 2.4 | 4 |
| 2018 | 2.4 | 3.4 |
| 2017 | 2.3 | 3.1 |
| 2016 | 2.5 | 2.7 |
| 2015 | 2.4 | 4.1 |
| 2014 | 1.7 | 4.4 |
| 2013 | 2.2 | 3.7 |
| 2012 | 2.8 | 3 |
| 2011 | 3.8 | 4.2 |
| 2010 | 2.1 | 2.9 |
| 2009 | -2.1 | 0.5 |
| 2008 | 2.1 | 3.3 |
| 2007 | 1.9 | 6.3 |
| 2006 | 4.3 | 5.4 |
| 2005 | 2.7 | 3.3 |
| 2004 | 0.9 | 3.1 |
| 2003 | 1.6 | 2.6 |
| 2002 | 1.6 | 3.8 |
| 2001 | 0.9 | 3.1 |
| 2000 | 1.1 | 2.5 |
| 1999 | 2.2 | 3.7 |
| 1998 | 2.7 | 4.6 |
| 1997 | 3.1 | 4.1 |
| 1996 | 0.8 | 2.8 |
| 1995 | 4.7 | 4.4 |
| 1994 | 4.7 | 3.5 |
| 1993 | 5.8 | 3.4 |
| 1992 | 7 | 4.6 |
| 1991 | 1.5 | 3 |
| 1990 | 4.8 | 3.1 |
| 1989 | 1 | 3.9 |
| 1988 | 1.9 | 3.9 |
| 1987 | 2.5 | 3.6 |
| 1986 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| 1985 | 0.6 | -0.6 |
| 1984 | 1.3 | 0.5 |
| 1983 | 1.5 | -2.5 |
| 1982 | -6.3 | -3.5 |
| 1981 | -5.7 | 0.6 |
| 1980 | -8.6 | 3.7 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | El Salvador | Guatemala |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4.5 | 4 |
| 2027 | 4 | 3.8 |
| 2028 | 3.3 | 3.9 |
| 2029 | 3.3 | 3.9 |
| 2030 | 3.3 | 3.9 |
| 2031 | 3.3 | 3.9 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 143 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
El Salvador vs Guatemala
Health
- Life expectancyEl Salvador: 72.1 years in 2023Guatemala: 72.6 years in 2023
- Child mortalityEl Salvador: 1 per 100 live births in 2024Guatemala: 2.1 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityEl Salvador: 9.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023Guatemala: 17.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionEl Salvador: 3.03% in 2017Guatemala: 3.22% in 2017
- Suicide rateEl Salvador: 9.8 per 100,000 people in 2017Guatemala: 5.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationEl Salvador: 6.31 million people in 2023Guatemala: 18.1 million people in 2023
- Population growthEl Salvador: 0.46% a year in 2023Guatemala: 1.55% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateEl Salvador: 1.78 births per woman in 2023Guatemala: 2.31 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationEl Salvador: 75.5% in 2025Guatemala: 56.3% in 2025
- Median ageEl Salvador: 27 years in 2023Guatemala: 22.6 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overEl Salvador: 8% in 2023Guatemala: 4.7% in 2023
- Net migration rateEl Salvador: -3.7 per 1,000 people in 2023Guatemala: -0.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingEl Salvador: 1.34% of GDP in 2025Guatemala: 0.52% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsEl Salvador: $489M in 2025Guatemala: $617M in 2025
- Military spending per personEl Salvador: $77 in 2025Guatemala: $34 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingEl Salvador: 4.4% of government spending in 2025Guatemala: 3.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelEl Salvador: 42,000 people in 2020Guatemala: 43,000 people in 2020
- National powerEl Salvador: 0.05% of world capability in 2022Guatemala: 0.09% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersEl Salvador: 1.62% of the labour force in 2020Guatemala: 0.64% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsEl Salvador: 3 million TIV in 2025Guatemala: 6 million TIV in 2023