El Salvador continues to reduce economic gaps by expanding access to financial services, according to the National Survey on Financial Inclusion and Financial Education 2025, presented this Tuesday by the Central Reserve Bank of El Salvador (BCR). The event was led by BCR President Douglas Rodríguez and Vice President Hazel González, within the framework of policies promoted by President Nayib Bukele to strengthen the country’s social and financial well-being.
“This valuable survey was developed as part of the initiatives driven by our President to strengthen the social and financial welfare of Salvadorans and represents a strategic update to the survey conducted by the Central Bank in 2022,” said Rodríguez. He stressed that the results go beyond statistics, noting, “Today, we are not just presenting figures; we are sharing strategic information that allows us to understand remaining gaps and the opportunities we have as a country to overcome them.”
The survey reveals that financial inclusion reached 46.9 percent in 2025, a sharp increase from 28 percent in 2022. Rodríguez added that economic growth during 2025 was influenced by the strength of El Salvador’s financial system, which helped energize sectors such as construction. He also highlighted the role of digital finance, stating that “Transfer 365 currently accounts for 95.3 percent of all financial transactions in the country.”
Ana Guadalupe Escobar, BCR’s Manager of Financial Stability and Public Policy, explained that the survey was conducted through a fully digital process. She reported that 46.9 percent of respondents said they have a savings account, with 57.6 percent of men and 38.1 percent of women reporting account ownership. San Salvador and San Vicente registered inclusion levels above the national average.
“Of those who said they had a bank account, 88.5 percent reported having made a deposit or withdrawal in the past 12 months,” Escobar noted. She also explained that 54.9 percent of loans are used for personal consumption, 18.3 percent for business purposes, and that 25.8 percent of respondents receive family remittances through formal financial channels, underscoring El Salvador’s continued progress toward a more inclusive financial system.