Out-of-pocket expenditure in El Salvador
El Salvador: Out-of-pocket expenditure was 32.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-pocket expenditure in El Salvador, 2000–2023
Source: Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of current health expenditure.
Analysis
In 2023, out-of-pocket expenditure in El Salvador stood at 32.5%.
The figure is up 4.5% on the previous year and down 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-pocket expenditure in El Salvador peaked at 45.7% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 27.4%, in 2020.
El Salvador ranks 75th of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Out-of-pocket expenditure in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % of current health expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 45.4% | — |
| 2001 | 45.1% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 44.9% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 45.7% | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 44.7% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 44.0% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 38.8% | -12.0% |
| 2007 | 41.6% | +7.5% |
| 2008 | 42.0% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 38.4% | -8.5% |
| 2010 | 37.8% | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 38.1% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 39.0% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 37.4% | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 36.6% | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 35.2% | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 34.5% | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 37.3% | +7.9% |
| 2018 | 37.5% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 37.7% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 27.4% | -27.2% |
| 2021 | 30.5% | +11.3% |
| 2022 | 31.1% | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 32.5% | +4.5% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 32.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 30.1%, 1.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 32.5% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 29.3%, 1.1× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-pocket expenditure in El Salvador changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | -27.2% | 37.7% | 27.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 43.1% | 38.4% | 45.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.1% | 34.5% | 39.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.4% | 27.4% | 32.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More health data for El Salvador
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.89 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4574 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,537 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 104 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.9135 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0374 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.8849 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-pocket expenditure in El Salvador?
- Out-of-pocket expenditure in El Salvador was 32.5% in 2023, according to Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest out-of-pocket expenditure recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 45.7% in 2003.
- What is the lowest out-of-pocket expenditure recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.4% in 2020.
- How does El Salvador rank for out-of-pocket expenditure?
- El Salvador ranks 75th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-pocket expenditure rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Out-of-pocket expenditure (% of current health expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of out-of-pocket payments of total current health expenditures. Out-of-pocket payments are spending on health directly out-of-pocket by households.