International tourism, receipts in El Salvador
El Salvador: International tourism, receipts was 12.3% in 2020. ▬ Flat
International tourism, receipts in El Salvador, 1995–2020
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism. Measured in % of total exports.
Analysis
El Salvador recorded 12.3% for international tourism, receipts in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 40.2% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, receipts in El Salvador peaked at 26.4% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 9.4%, in 1996.
That places El Salvador 52nd out of 183 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
International tourism, receipts in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % of total exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 9.7% | — |
| 1996 | 9.4% | -3.2% |
| 1999 | 18.4% | +95.7% |
| 2000 | 17.4% | -5.2% |
| 2001 | 18.6% | +6.6% |
| 2002 | 20.7% | +11.3% |
| 2003 | 24.4% | +18.0% |
| 2004 | 26.4% | +8.3% |
| 2005 | 19.6% | -25.7% |
| 2006 | 18.2% | -7.3% |
| 2007 | 18.2% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 14.8% | -18.9% |
| 2009 | 13.0% | -11.9% |
| 2010 | 13.0% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 12.4% | -4.6% |
| 2012 | 14.7% | +18.8% |
| 2013 | 16.1% | +9.5% |
| 2014 | 19.4% | +20.4% |
| 2015 | 17.4% | -10.4% |
| 2016 | 16.9% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 17.0% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 18.1% | +6.6% |
| 2019 | 20.7% | +14.0% |
| 2020 | 12.3% | -40.2% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 12.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.1%, 2.4× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 12.3% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 8.5%, 1.5× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where International tourism, receipts in El Salvador changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | +95.7% | 9.4% | 18.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.5% | 9.4% | 18.4% | 3 |
| 2000s | 19.1% | 13.0% | 26.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.6% | 12.4% | 20.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.3% | 12.3% | 12.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More private sector data for El Salvador
- Merchandise trade 66.1% (2025)
- Food imports 20.1% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 62.0% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 17.85 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 22.9% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 70.0% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 6.43 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 1,010 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1751 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 1.87 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, receipts in El Salvador?
- International tourism, receipts in El Salvador was 12.3% in 2020, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, receipts recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 26.4% in 2004.
- What is the lowest international tourism, receipts recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.4% in 1996.
- How does El Salvador rank for international tourism, receipts?
- El Salvador ranks 52nd out of 183 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, receipts rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism, published as part of International tourism, receipts (% of total exports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
International tourism receipts are expenditures by international inbound visitors, including payments to national carriers for international transport. These receipts include any other prepayment made for goods or services received in the destination country. They also may include receipts from same-day visitors, except when these are important enough to justify separate classification. For some countries they do not include receipts for passenger transport items. Their share in exports is calculated as a ratio to exports of goods and services, which comprise all transactions between residents of a country and the rest of the world involving a change of ownership from residents to nonresidents of general merchandise, goods sent for processing and repairs, nonmonetary gold, and services.