The Government of El Salvador has reported a significant reduction in multidimensional poverty, which fell to 21.1% in 2024, according to the latest Multiple Purpose Household Survey (EHPM 2024) published by the Central Reserve Bank (BCR).
This marks a steady decline compared to 25.1% in 2023 and represents substantial progress since 2022, when the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) recorded El Salvador’s rate at 56.4%, the second highest in the region after Honduras.
The BCR report highlights that 18 of 20 indicators of multidimensional poverty decreased, confirming a consistent trend of improvement nationwide.
One of the most notable advances was the reduction in security-related restrictions, which dropped by nearly eight percentage points, reaching single-digit levels. This progress reflects the impact of security policies implemented under the administration of President Nayib Bukele.
Other areas also showed improvement:
- Insecurity in land tenure and underemployment fell by 2.9 percentage points.
- Overcrowding decreased by 5.3 percentage points, showing advances in housing quality.
- Lack of access to sanitation was reduced by 3.7 percentage points.
- Respondents also reported better access to health services and drinking water.
According to government data, these results demonstrate that public policy measures have significantly reduced multidimensional poverty within just two years, marking a notable achievement in El Salvador’s social development.
