Land use in El Salvador
El Salvador: Land use was 881,000 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
881,000 hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
117th
of 224 countries
All-time high
891,500 hectares
in 2004
All-time low
625,000 hectares
in 1970
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in El Salvador, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
El Salvador recorded 881,000 hectares for land use in 2023.
The figure is up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in El Salvador peaked at 891,500 hectares in 2004 and was at its lowest, 625,000 hectares, in 1970.
El Salvador ranks 117th of 224 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 648,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 648,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 653,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1964 | 650,000 hectares | -0.5% |
| 1965 | 646,000 hectares | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 640,000 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1967 | 635,000 hectares | -0.8% |
| 1968 | 629,000 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 627,000 hectares | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 625,000 hectares | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 668,000 hectares | +6.9% |
| 1972 | 671,000 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 678,000 hectares | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 688,000 hectares | +1.5% |
| 1975 | 698,000 hectares | +1.5% |
| 1976 | 690,000 hectares | -1.1% |
| 1977 | 699,000 hectares | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 740,000 hectares | +5.9% |
| 1979 | 790,000 hectares | +6.8% |
| 1980 | 800,000 hectares | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 760,000 hectares | -5.0% |
| 1982 | 731,000 hectares | -3.8% |
| 1983 | 727,000 hectares | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 737,000 hectares | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 757,000 hectares | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 777,000 hectares | +2.6% |
| 1987 | 777,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 797,000 hectares | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 797,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 810,000 hectares | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 828,000 hectares | +2.2% |
| 1992 | 851,000 hectares | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 851,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 854,000 hectares | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 855,000 hectares | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 816,000 hectares | -4.6% |
| 1997 | 816,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 850,000 hectares | +4.2% |
| 1999 | 881,000 hectares | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 877,100 hectares | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 873,200 hectares | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 864,300 hectares | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 860,400 hectares | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 891,500 hectares | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 834,600 hectares | -6.4% |
| 2006 | 838,000 hectares | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 867,500 hectares | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 868,800 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 870,100 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 871,400 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 872,700 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 874,000 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 875,300 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 876,600 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 877,900 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 879,200 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 880,500 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 881,000 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 881,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 881,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 881,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 881,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 881,000 hectares | +0.0% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 881,000 hectares is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.58 million hectares, 56% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 881,000 hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 544,348 hectares, 1.6× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 641,778 hectares | 627,000 hectares | 653,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 694,700 hectares | 625,000 hectares | 790,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 766,000 hectares | 727,000 hectares | 800,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 841,200 hectares | 810,000 hectares | 881,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 864,550 hectares | 834,600 hectares | 891,500 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 876,960 hectares | 871,400 hectares | 881,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 881,000 hectares | 881,000 hectares | 881,000 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More environment data for El Salvador
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -3.31 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.1 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.27 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.28 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.58 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.0446 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in El Salvador?
- Land use in El Salvador was 881,000 hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 891,500 hectares in 2004.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 625,000 hectares in 1970.
- How does El Salvador rank for land use?
- El Salvador ranks 117th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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