Factbook
History of El Salvador — Timeline
Key dates in the history of El Salvador, from the Magna Factbook and the Universal Encyclopedia.
1821El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839.
1821Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain).
1992A 12-year civil war, which cost about 75,000 lives, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms.
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 9.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 19.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 2.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 31% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); geothermal: 24.5% of total inst Energy use: 24.421 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals Agriculture: sugarcane, maize, milk, chicken, sorghum, beans, oranges, coconuts, eggs, mangoes/guavas (2023) Electricity access: 100% (2022 est.).
2023Languages: Spanish (official), Nawat (among some indigenous) Religions: Roman Catholic 43.9%, Protestant 39.6% (Evangelical - unspecified 38.2%, Evangelical - Methodist 1.3%, Evangelical - Baptist 0.1%), none 16.3%, unspecified 0.2% (2023 est.) Urban population: 75.4% of total population (2023).
2023Major urban areas: 1.116 million SAN SALVADOR (capital) (2023) upper-middle-income, dollarized Central American economy; reliant on remittances from US; recent growth linked to infrastructure investment, consumption, and crime reduction; $1.3 billion IMF loan to address fiscal imbalances; Bitcoin adopted as legal tender; persistent poverty and large informal sector Inflation: 0.9% (2024 est.).
2024Military spending: 1.2% of GDP (2024 est.).
