El Salvador has been ranked the third least vulnerable country in Central America to illicit trade, according to the Illicit Trade Index 2025 published by the Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (TRACIT).

The index measures the susceptibility of 158 economies worldwide to criminal networks that traffic unregistered goods without tax compliance. TRACIT represents 1,500 brands operating across 190 territories.

El Salvador placed 96th in the global ranking. Within Central America, Costa Rica led the region with the 68th position, followed by Panama at 81st. Meanwhile, Belize ranked 103rd, Guatemala 106th, Honduras 129th, and Nicaragua 149th.

The report highlighted Nicaragua as one of the most vulnerable countries globally, only nine spots away from the worst positions, comparable to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea-Bissau. Venezuela and Yemen were listed at the bottom of the index, occupying the 157th and 158th places.