According to the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration (Sieca), El Salvador became the third largest exporter of services in the region by the end of 2023. Salvadoran companies exported over $5.1 billion in services by the close of the year.

In a report titled «Central American Services Trade Monitor,» published in May 2024, Sieca revealed that the region exported $45.34 billion in services in 2023, marking an 11.7% increase from 2022. El Salvador’s total exports reached $5.108 billion by the fourth quarter of 2023, an 18.2% rise from the previous year.

The regional breakdown showed that Panama led with 38.5% of total exports, followed by Costa Rica with 32.7%, and El Salvador with 11.3%. Guatemala ranked fourth with 9.4%, Honduras followed with 4.7%, and Nicaragua rounded out the list with 3.4%.

Sieca’s analysis indicated that 75% of El Salvador’s exported services were concentrated in travel, transport, telecommunications, IT, and information services, collectively experiencing a 34% increase in exports. Conversely, sectors such as physical inputs, maintenance and repairs, and other business services saw a 12.8% decrease compared to 2022.

The Salvadoran Export Corporation (Coexport) emphasized the significance of this sector to the economy. In early July, Coexport noted the continued growth of service exports in 2024, driven by tourism, travel, logistics, and call centers.