Where Salvadorans move
1.8M Salvadorans live abroad — #45 largest source of emigrants worldwide
Considering a move from El Salvador? — See top destinations, regional flows, and how it's changed since 1990.
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 91% of all emigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| United States | 1569946 |
| Mexico | 55410 |
| Canada | 49004 |
| Spain | 42228 |
| Italy | 24538 |
| Guatemala | 22750 |
| Costa Rica | 20131 |
| Belize | 11092 |
| Australia | 10898 |
| Honduras | 9234 |
| Panama | 6326 |
| Belgium | 2981 |
| Nicaragua | 2653 |
| Chile | 1289 |
| Venezuela | 912 |
| Argentina | 901 |
| Colombia | 898 |
| Libya | 797 |
| Peru | 615 |
| Ecuador | 433 |
| Dominican Republic | 300 |
| Norway | 250 |
| Bolivia | 156 |
| Jamaica | 135 |
| Denmark | 125 |
| Puerto Rico | 117 |
| Portugal | 108 |
| Finland | 87 |
| Bahamas | 81 |
| Brazil | 71 |
| Luxembourg | 54 |
| Greece | 52 |
| Iceland | 41 |
| Hungary | 25 |
| Bulgaria | 15 |
| Cyprus | 8 |
| Estonia | 4 |
| Guinea | 2 |
| Slovakia | 1 |
| Slovenia | 1 |
| Liechtenstein | 1 |
By destination region
North America is the leading destination region at 88%
1.6M
133.5K
70.5K
10.9K
799
8
Interesting facts
Notable statistics about emigration from El Salvador.
Mexico is the fastest-growing major destination
Emigration to Mexico has increased by 294% since 2015, rising from 14K to 55.4K in 9 years.
United States is the primary destination for emigrants
United States attracts 86% of all emigrants from El Salvador, while the second-largest destination receives just 3%.
Emigration has become more concentrated over time
The top destination's share rose from 50% to 86%, with United States increasingly the primary choice.
The share of emigrants going to Latin America has declined since 1990
The share of emigrants going to Latin America has shifted from 46% to 7.3% since 1990.
How emigration changed over time
Total emigrant population by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 955569 |
| 1995 | 1005420 |
| 2000 | 906731 |
| 2005 | 1108043 |
| 2010 | 1359464 |
| 2015 | 1541873 |
| 2020 | 1679667 |
| 2024 | 1834670 |
Top destinations over time
Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries
| Year | United States | Mexico | Canada | Spain | Italy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 474241 | 7223 | 27442 | 1223 | 1494 |
| 1995 | 725057 | 7179 | 32088 | 1765 | 2357 |
| 2000 | 802250 | 7592 | 37461 | 2507 | 3600 |
| 2005 | 992393 | 8433 | 42348 | 4191 | 6014 |
| 2010 | 1223863 | 8433 | 44461 | 7426 | 8795 |
| 2015 | 1379162 | 14048 | 48522 | 13781 | 12473 |
| 2020 | 1463484 | 38533 | 49409 | 26018 | 18402 |
| 2024 | 1569946 | 55410 | 49004 | 42228 | 24538 |
Fastest-changing destinations
How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year
El Salvador as an emigration source
Share of immigrants in each country who originate from El Salvador