El Salvador2019 Economic Complexity : 0.017, Rank 69 of 146
2019 Product Exports | Imports: $6.27B | $11.1B, 106 of 225 | 97 of 225
2019 Per Capita Product Exports | Imports: $971 | $1.71k, 123 of 219 | 124 of 219
2019 Service Exports | Imports : $2.37B | $1.86B, 46 of 69 | 49 of 69
Overview In 2019 El Salvador was the number 102 economy in the world in terms of GDP (current US$), the number 106 in total exports, the number 97 in total imports, the number 116 economy in terms of GDP per capita (current US$) and the number 69 most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI).
Exports The top exports of El Salvador are Knit T-shirts ($783M), Knit Sweaters ($392M), Electrical Capacitors ($339M), Knit Socks and Hosiery ($227M), and Plastic Lids ($218M), exporting mostly to United States ($2.53B), Guatemala ($965M), Honduras ($944M), Nicaragua ($398M), and Costa Rica ($269M).
Imports The top imports of El Salvador are Refined Petroleum ($1.14B), Packaged Medicaments ($258M), Light Rubberized Knitted Fabric ($241M), Broadcasting Equipment ($240M), and Petroleum Gas ($218M), importing mostly from United States ($3.29B), China ($1.5B), Guatemala ($1.38B), Mexico ($916M), and Honduras ($627M).
Location El Salvador borders Guatemala by land and Honduras and Nicaragua by sea.
Top Export (2019): Knit T-shirts, $783M
Top Destination (2019): United States, $2.53B
In 2019, El Salvador exported a total of $6.27B, making it the number 106 exporter in the world. During the last five reported years the exports of El Salvador have changed by $719M from $5.55B in 2014 to $6.27B in 2019.
The most recent exports are led by Knit T-shirts ($783M), Knit Sweaters ($392M), Electrical Capacitors ($339M), Knit Socks and Hosiery ($227M), and Plastic Lids ($218M). The most common destination for the exports of El Salvador are United States ($2.53B), Guatemala ($965M), Honduras ($944M), Nicaragua ($398M), and Costa Rica ($269M).
Top Import (2019): Refined Petroleum, $1.14B
Top Origin (2019): United States, $3.29B
In 2019 El Salvador imported $11.1B, making it the number 97 trade destination in the world. During the last five reported years the imports of El Salvador changed by $770M from $10.3B in 2014 to $11.1B in 2019.
The most recent imports of El Salvador are led by Refined Petroleum ($1.14B), Packaged Medicaments ($258M), Light Rubberized Knitted Fabric ($241M), Broadcasting Equipment ($240M), and Petroleum Gas ($218M). The most common import partners for El Salvador are United States ($3.29B), China ($1.5B), Guatemala ($1.38B), Mexico ($916M), and Honduras ($627M).
El Salvador Exports Services (2019): $2.37B
El Salvador Imports Services (2019): $1.86B
In 2019, El Salvador exported $2.37B worth of services. The top services exported by El Salvador in 2019 were Personal travel ($1.28B), Transportation ($488M), Computer and information services ($244M), Other business services ($109M), and Government services, n.i.e. ($92.7M).
The top services imported by El Salvador in 2019 were Transportation ($687M), Personal travel ($465M), Insurance services ($218M), Financial services ($177M), and Royalties and license fees ($97.7M).
The top product import tariffs by their MFN Ad Valorem value for El Salvador are Meat preparations: of the poultry of heading no. 0105, (i.e. of fowls of the species Gallus domesticus) (164%) and Meat and edible offal: of fowls of the species Gallus domesticus, cuts and offal, fresh or chilled (73%).
Click any of the products in the bar chart to see the specific Ad Valorem Duty Rates by partner country.
*The tariffs applied to imports for El Salvador are:
El Salvador has a high level of specialization in Cereal Flours (102), Molasses (99.5), Asbestos Cement Articles (79.4), Knit Men's Undergarments (67), and Knit T-shirts (49.1). Specialization is measured using RCA, an index that takes the ratio between El Salvador observed and expected exports in each product.
The highest complexity exports of El Salvador according to the product complexity index (PCI) are Drawing, mathematical, length measuring instruments (1.61), Calendaring, rolling machines, except for metal, glass (1.56), Flat-rolled alloy steel nes, width >600mm (1.49), Flat-rolled alloy steel nes, <600mm wide (1.26), and Transfers (decalcomanias) (1.01). PCI measures the knowledge intensity of a product by considering the knowledge intensity of its exporters.
The top export opportunities for El Salvador according to the relatedness index, are Cassava (0.27), Other Vegetables (0.27), Bananas (0.26), Tropical Fruits (0.26), and Raw Tobacco (0.26). Relatedness measures the distance between a country's current exports and each product. The barchart show only products that El Salvador is not specialized in.
The product space is a network connecting products that are likely to be co-exported. The product space can be used to predict future exports, since countries are more likely to start exporting products that are related to current exports. Relatedness measures the distance between a product, and all of the products it is currently specialized in.
The Complexity-Relatedness diagram compares the risk and the strategic value of a country's potential export oppotunities. Relatedness is a predictive of the probability that a country increases its exports in a product. Complexity, is associated with higher levels of income, economic growth, less income inequality, and lower emissions.
During the last 20 years El Salvador's economy has become relatively less complex, moving from the 60th to the 69th position in the ECI rank.
These economic complexity rankings use 6 digit exports classified according to the HS96 classification. We consider only countries with population of at least 1 million and exports of at least $1 billion, and products with world trade over $500 million. To explore different rankings and vary these parameters visit the custom rankings section.