Did You Know?

The Monetary Integration Law fixed the old colón at 8.75 to the dollar. There is no exchange rate risk on dollar revenue and no currency to convert for US investors. See dollarisation and the BCR.

Decree No. 969 of 12 March 2024 applies to individuals and companies, resident or not. Income earned in El Salvador is still taxed. See foreign-source income.

The S.A.S. was added to the Commercial Code by Decree No. 905 of December 2023 and is formed with a Registry of Commerce form instead of a notarial deed. Registration is free until 31 December 2026. See the S.A.S. guide.

Remittances rose 17.8% on 2024, and more than nine in ten dollars came from the United States. See the diaspora and the diaspora investors guide.

That is roughly one for every four people counted in El Salvador’s 2024 census.

The country has a land area of about 21,041 km², about the same size as the US state of New Jersey. See key facts.

The 262 former municipalities became districts, and the old names are still used in addresses. Businesses now register and pay municipal taxes with the new municipality. See the regions map.

Working hours overlap with the whole US working day, which is one reason nearshore service centres locate here.

UNESCO inscribed it in 1993. The ash preserved houses, tools and crops, giving a rare picture of everyday Maya life. See archaeological sites.

It was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. See culture and traditions.

Decree 655 of 1 April 2005 declared it the national dish. See food and coffee.

The count includes tourists and day visitors; 44% arrived by air and 37% came from the United States. See tourism growth.

Monseñor Óscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport had direct flights to 34 cities in 13 countries in 2026. See infrastructure.

Together, natural gas, hydro and geothermal plants generated more than 75% of the electricity. See the energy sector.

It has applied since 1 June 2025. Other sectors have their own rates. See minimum wages by sector and the employer cost calculator.

It is 15 days after one year of service, 19 days after three years and 21 days after ten, paid between 12 and 20 December. From January 2027 the Quincena 25 payment is also mandatory for staff earning up to $1,500 a month.

San Salvador adds the August festivities from 3 to 6 August. See national days and public holidays.

Four of the zones also operate as service parks. Companies pay no income tax or municipal taxes for 15 to 20 years. See how free zones work.

That was a month before Honduras and Nicaragua and four months before Guatemala. See trade agreements.

Buyers pay a one-off 3% transfer tax on the part of the price above $28,571.43; owners pay municipal charges for services. See property costs and taxes.

The 2021 Bitcoin Law made acceptance compulsory; Decree No. 199 of 29 January 2025, passed under the IMF programme, made it voluntary and ended tax payments in Bitcoin. See Bitcoin and digital assets.

The IMF Board completed the second and third reviews on 1 October 2026. See the economy charts.

The fall came under a state of exception in force since March 2022, which suspends some constitutional rights. More than 92,000 people had been detained under it by June 2026. Human rights groups report mass arbitrary detention, deaths in custody and mass trials, and analysts note that the homicide count uses a narrower definition. See quality of life.

Its score was 523. Contact centres and business process outsourcing (BPO) are a main employer of bilingual staff. See workforce and bilingual talent.

It opened its seventh hangar in April 2026, with 65 production lines. Aircraft maintenance exports reached USD 315.6 million from January to September 2025. See aeronautics.

North America bought 64% of the volume. See food and coffee.

With the specialised and technical institutes there are 41 higher education institutions. See universities.

Investors from treaty countries can rely on the treaty’s protections as well as the Investment Law. See investment legislation.

The average monthly wage of employed people was $437.39. See workforce and bilingual talent.