People not using improved drinking water sources in El Salvador
El Salvador: People not using improved drinking water sources was 58,760 people in 2024. ◆ Volatile
People not using improved drinking water sources in El Salvador, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for people not using improved drinking water sources in El Salvador is 58,760 people, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 31.4% on the previous year and down 81.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people not using improved drinking water sources in El Salvador peaked at 847,319 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 58,760 people, in 2024.
That places El Salvador 102nd out of 231 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
People not using improved drinking water sources in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 847,319 people | — |
| 2001 | 842,234 people | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 799,948 people | -5.0% |
| 2003 | 757,331 people | -5.3% |
| 2004 | 714,584 people | -5.6% |
| 2005 | 671,971 people | -6.0% |
| 2006 | 629,658 people | -6.3% |
| 2007 | 588,608 people | -6.5% |
| 2008 | 545,837 people | -7.3% |
| 2009 | 504,084 people | -7.6% |
| 2010 | 463,440 people | -8.1% |
| 2011 | 423,932 people | -8.5% |
| 2012 | 385,538 people | -9.1% |
| 2013 | 348,174 people | -9.7% |
| 2014 | 311,705 people | -10.5% |
| 2015 | 276,025 people | -11.4% |
| 2016 | 241,249 people | -12.6% |
| 2017 | 207,382 people | -14.0% |
| 2018 | 174,386 people | -15.9% |
| 2019 | 142,371 people | -18.4% |
| 2020 | 115,239 people | -19.1% |
| 2021 | 103,049 people | -10.6% |
| 2022 | 94,110 people | -8.7% |
| 2023 | 85,686 people | -9.0% |
| 2024 | 58,760 people | -31.4% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 58,760 people is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 61,603 people, 95% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 58,760 people is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 4,163 people, 14.1× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 690,157 people | 504,084 people | 847,319 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 297,420 people | 142,371 people | 463,440 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 91,369 people | 58,760 people | 115,239 people | 5 |
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 people not using improved drinking water sources in El Salvador?
- People not using improved drinking water sources in El Salvador was 58,760 people in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest people not using improved drinking water sources recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 847,319 people in 2000.
- What is the lowest people not using improved drinking water sources recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 58,760 people in 2024.
- How does El Salvador rank for people not using improved drinking water sources?
- El Salvador ranks 102nd out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people not using improved drinking water sources rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 81.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of People not using improved drinking water sources. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people not using improved drinking water sources. These people might use surface water sources or unprotected springs or wells, as no safe and reliable improved drinking water source is available to them.