[1] Primary trade source
OECD Bilateral International Merchandise Trade Statistics, harmonised by Yugalinks at country-year, HS2 and bilateral-corridor levels. Coverage shown here is 1995–2024 where observations are available.
Country intelligence · SLV · 2024
El Salvador trade profile
In 2024, El Salvador recorded $6.3B in merchandise exports and $14.5B in imports, producing a $8.2B trade deficit. Exports changed -2.1% from the previous year, while imports changed +5.5%.[1]
Exports
$6.3B
-2.1%
Imports
$14.5B
+5.5%
Trade balance
-$8.2B
deficit
Active partners
270
41 FTA-linked
Historical evidence
Ten-year trade movement
The bars compare exports and imports on the same scale. The accompanying table preserves the exact values so the trend is usable without interpreting a graphic.
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
ExportsImports
Exact annual values
Leading export sectors
HS2 chapters rank broad product groups by observed export value in 2024.
1$1.6B
HS 61 · HS chapter
106 active HS6 lines · 122 export partners
2$521.6M
HS 39 · HS chapter
127 active HS6 lines · 94 export partners
3$513.4M
HS 85 · Electrical machinery
260 active HS6 lines · 111 export partners
4$374.2M
HS 48 · HS chapter
101 active HS6 lines · 76 export partners
5$360.6M
HS 17 · HS chapter
17 active HS6 lines · 38 export partners
6$242.9M
HS 19 · HS chapter
19 active HS6 lines · 30 export partners
7$189.8M
HS 30 · Pharmaceutical products
37 active HS6 lines · 63 export partners
8$184.8M
HS 22 · HS chapter
24 active HS6 lines · 46 export partners
Leading export markets
Destinations rank bilateral export flows from El Salvador; growth describes each corridor rather than the whole economy.
1$2.2B
United States
Annual change -6.4% · 3-year CAGR -4.1%
2$1.1B
Guatemala
Annual change +8.3% · 3-year CAGR -0.7%
3$908.6M
Honduras
Annual change -3.9% · 3-year CAGR -2.6%
4$459.3M
Nicaragua
Annual change +10.5% · 3-year CAGR 2.4%
5$299.3M
Mexico
Annual change +1.6% · 3-year CAGR 7.5%
6$285.1M
Costa Rica
Annual change +1.5% · 3-year CAGR 5.6%
7$143.2M
China
Annual change +24.9% · 3-year CAGR -3.7%
8$129.4M
Dominican Republic
Annual change +1.2% · 3-year CAGR 4.8%
Sources, definitions and limitations
Calculation notes
USD values are aggregated from reported merchandise records. YoY compares consecutive annual totals; three-year CAGR is the mart-provided compound annual growth rate. Missing values are not inferred.