Central America and the Caribbean > El Salvador > Economy

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Agriculture > products coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum; shrimp; beef, dairy products
Aid as % of GDP	1.4%		[74th of 129]
Definition: Economy > Aid as % of GDP
Source: CIA World Factbook, 28 July 2005
Debt > External	$9,574,000,000.00		[78th of 136]
Definition: Economy > Debt > External
Source: calculated on the basis of data on ODA from OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), Development Assistance Committee. 2002. DAC Online. Database. Paris.; and data on GDP from World Bank. 2002. World Development Indicators 2002. CD-ROM. Washington, DC
Distribution of family income > Gini index	52.4		[2nd of 43]
Definition: Economy > Distribution of family income > Gini index
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
Economic freedom	2.75		[26th of 156]
Definition: Economy > Economic freedom
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
Economy > Overview The smallest country in Central America, El Salvador has the third largest economy, but growth has been modest in recent years. Robust growth in non-traditional exports have offset declines in the maquila exports, while remittances and external aid offset the trade deficit from high oil prices and strong import demand for consumer and intermediate goods. El Salvador leads the region in remittances per capita with inflows equivalent to nearly all export income. Implementation in 2006 of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which El Salvador was the first to ratify, has strengthened an already positive export trend. With the adoption of the US dollar as its currency in 2001, El Salvador lost control over monetary policy and must concentrate on maintaining a disciplined fiscal policy. The current government has pursued economic diversification, with some success in promoting textile production, international port services, and tourism through tax incentives. It is committed to opening the economy to trade and investment, and has embarked on a wave of privatizations extending to telecom, electricity distribution, banking, and pension funds. In late 2006, the government and the Millennium Challenge Corporation signed a five-year, $461 million compact to stimulate economic growth and reduce poverty in the country's northern region through investments in education, public services, enterprise development, and transportation infrastructure.
Definition: Economy > Economy > Overview
Source: The Heritage Foundation
Exports	$4,035,000,000.00		[110th of 189]
Definition: Economy > Exports
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
GDP	$18,306,150,000.00		[81st of 203]
Definition: Economy > GDP
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
GDP > PPP	$34,396,000,000.00		[83rd of 163]
Definition: Economy > GDP > PPP
Source: World Development Indicators database and CIA World Factbook
GDP > Real growth rate	4.7%		[110th of 198]
Definition: Economy > GDP > Real growth rate
Source: World Bank. 2005. World Development Indicators 2005.
GINI index	52.36		[6th of 40]
Definition: Economy > GINI index
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
Gross National Income	$13,030,700,000.00		[71st of 172]
Definition: Economy > Gross National Income
Source: World Development Indicators database
Human Development Index	0.722		[105th of 178]
Definition: Economy > Human Development Index
Income category	Lower middle income
Definition: Economy > Income category
Source: Human Development Report 2006, United Nations Development Programme
Income distribution > Richest 10%	39.5%		[21st of 114]
Definition: Economy > Income distribution > Richest 10%
Source:
Population below poverty line	30.7%		[9th of 46]
Definition: Economy > Population below poverty line
Source: World Bank. 2002. World Development Indicators 2002. CD-ROM. Washington, DC
Poverty > Share of all poor people	0.12 % of world's poor		[39th of 80]
Definition: Economy > Poverty > Share of all poor people
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
Public debt	37.3 % of GDP		[59th of 121]
Definition: Economy > Public debt
Source: Country Responsibilities in Achieving the Millenium Development Goals", April 8 2003, by Janice Poling
Technological achievement	0.25		[49th of 68]
Definition: Economy > Technological achievement
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
Tourist arrivals	387,000		[75th of 152]
Definition: Economy > Tourist arrivals
Source: United Nations Development Program. Human Development Report 2001. New York: Oxford University Press,2001, Table A2.1. via ciesin.org

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