Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in El Salvador
El Salvador: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside was 20.2% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in El Salvador, 1964–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in El Salvador is 20.2%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 5.0% on the previous year and up 40.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in El Salvador peaked at 21.9% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1982.
That places El Salvador 105th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 0.1% | — |
| 1965 | 0.1% | -4.8% |
| 1966 | 0.1% | +35.9% |
| 1967 | 0.1% | -33.2% |
| 1969 | 0.1% | +51.3% |
| 1970 | 0.1% | -51.1% |
| 1971 | 0.1% | +23.9% |
| 1972 | 0.1% | +21.3% |
| 1973 | 0.1% | -12.9% |
| 1974 | 0.2% | +162.8% |
| 1975 | 0.2% | -37.6% |
| 1976 | 1.0% | +566.0% |
| 1977 | 0.1% | -88.8% |
| 1978 | 0.3% | +149.3% |
| 1979 | 0.3% | -11.1% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | -74.9% |
| 1981 | 0.1% | -16.4% |
| 1982 | 0.0% | -55.2% |
| 1983 | 0.1% | +184.6% |
| 1984 | 0.0% | -40.6% |
| 1985 | 0.0% | +7.4% |
| 1986 | 0.0% | -29.5% |
| 1987 | 0.0% | +19.1% |
| 1988 | 0.0% | -7.0% |
| 1989 | 0.1% | +78.3% |
| 1990 | 0.1% | +110.6% |
| 1991 | 0.1% | -49.3% |
| 1992 | 0.1% | +89.6% |
| 1993 | 0.4% | +243.7% |
| 1994 | 0.1% | -78.7% |
| 1995 | 0.8% | +860.2% |
| 1996 | 0.6% | -26.3% |
| 1997 | 0.8% | +36.2% |
| 1998 | 2.8% | +235.4% |
| 1999 | 1.3% | -54.6% |
| 2000 | 1.3% | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 1.6% | +27.6% |
| 2002 | 2.2% | +33.5% |
| 2003 | 2.8% | +30.1% |
| 2004 | 3.2% | +15.3% |
| 2005 | 8.3% | +155.9% |
| 2006 | 10.2% | +23.2% |
| 2007 | 11.3% | +10.8% |
| 2008 | 11.8% | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 11.8% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 13.4% | +13.7% |
| 2011 | 12.4% | -7.6% |
| 2012 | 13.0% | +5.2% |
| 2013 | 14.4% | +10.7% |
| 2014 | 15.5% | +7.6% |
| 2015 | 17.3% | +11.4% |
| 2016 | 18.2% | +4.9% |
| 2017 | 17.8% | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 18.0% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 17.9% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 18.7% | +4.5% |
| 2021 | 21.9% | +17.1% |
| 2022 | 21.3% | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 20.2% | -5.0% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 20.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20.2%, 1.0× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 20.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 20.2%, 1.0× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +860.2% | 0.1% | 0.8% |
| 1976 | +566.0% | 0.2% | 1.0% |
| 1993 | +243.7% | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| 1998 | +235.4% | 0.8% | 2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 5 |
| 1970s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.1% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.4% | 1.3% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.8% | 12.4% | 18.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.5% | 18.7% | 21.9% | 4 |
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 merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in El Salvador?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside in El Salvador was 20.2% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 21.9% in 2021.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1982.
- How does El Salvador rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside?
- El Salvador ranks 105th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 59 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from other low- and middle-income economies in other World Bank regions according to the World Bank classification of economies. Data are expressed as a percentage of total merchandise imports by the economy. Data are computed only if at least half of the economies in the partner country group had non-missing data.