El Salvador vs Guatemala
El Salvador vs Guatemala: Adult literacy
Adult literacy in 2024: 89.8% in El Salvador and 82.1% in Guatemala, by UNESCO estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in El Salvador, by 7.7 percentage points, or 1.09 times that in Guatemala.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- El Salvador has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2012.
- The world as a whole: 87.7% in 2024.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | El Salvador | Guatemala | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 89.8 | 82.1 | 87.7 |
| 2023 | 89.9 | 83 | 87.6 |
| 2022 | 89.4 | 83 | 87.4 |
| 2021 | 89.1 | – | 87.2 |
| 2020 | 90 | – | 87 |
| 2019 | 89.1 | – | 86.8 |
| 2018 | 89 | 80.8 | 86.8 |
| 2017 | 88.5 | – | 86.5 |
| 2016 | 88.1 | – | 86.3 |
| 2015 | 88 | 80.2 | 86 |
| 2014 | 87.4 | 81.3 | 85.6 |
| 2013 | 86.8 | 77 | 85.2 |
| 2012 | 85.5 | 78.3 | 84.9 |
| 2011 | 85.5 | – | 84.7 |
| 2010 | 84.5 | – | 84.4 |
| 2009 | 84.1 | – | 83.8 |
| 2008 | 84 | – | 83.5 |
| 2007 | 82 | – | 83.1 |
| 2006 | 83.6 | – | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | 69.1 | 81.7 |
| 2001 | – | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | – | – | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | – | 80.9 |
| 1998 | – | – | 80.5 |
| 1997 | – | – | 79.3 |
| 1996 | – | – | 77.3 |
| 1995 | – | – | 76.9 |
| 1994 | – | 64.2 | 76.4 |
| 1993 | – | – | 76 |
| 1992 | 74.1 | – | 75.5 |
| 1991 | – | – | 75.1 |
| 1990 | – | – | 74.6 |
| 1989 | – | – | 74.1 |
| 1988 | – | – | 73.6 |
| 1987 | – | – | 71.9 |
| 1986 | – | – | 71.3 |
| 1985 | – | – | 70.7 |
| 1984 | – | – | 70.2 |
| 1983 | – | – | 69.5 |
| 1982 | – | – | 68.9 |
| 1981 | – | – | 68.4 |
| 1980 | – | – | 67.8 |
| 1979 | – | – | 67.2 |
| 1978 | – | – | 66.5 |
| 1977 | – | – | 65.9 |
| 1976 | – | – | 65.6 |
| 1975 | – | – | 65.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
- Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
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