Democracy Index in El Salvador
El Salvador: Democracy Index was 8 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
8
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
52nd
of 168 countries
All-time high
8
in 2009
All-time low
-9
in 1931
Years of data
175
1841–2018
Democracy Index in El Salvador, 1841–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for democracy index in El Salvador is 8, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 175 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in El Salvador peaked at 8 in 2009 and was at its lowest, -9, in 1931.
That places El Salvador 52nd out of 168 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Democracy Index in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1841 | -1 | — |
| 1842 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1843 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1844 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1845 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1846 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1847 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1848 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1849 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1850 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1851 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1852 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1853 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1854 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1858 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1859 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1860 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1861 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1862 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1863 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1864 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1865 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1866 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1867 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1868 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1869 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1870 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1871 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1872 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1873 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1874 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1875 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1876 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1877 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1878 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1879 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1880 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1881 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1882 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1883 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1884 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1885 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1886 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1887 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1888 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1889 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1890 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1891 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1892 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1893 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1894 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1895 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1896 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1897 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1898 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1899 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1900 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1901 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1902 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1903 | -6 | +500.0% |
| 1904 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1905 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1906 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1907 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1908 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1909 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1910 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1911 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1912 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1913 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1914 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1915 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1916 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1917 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1918 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1919 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1920 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1921 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1922 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1923 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1924 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1925 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1926 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1927 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1928 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1929 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1930 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1931 | -9 | +50.0% |
| 1932 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1933 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1936 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1937 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -8 | -11.1% |
| 1945 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1946 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1947 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1948 | -7 | -12.5% |
| 1949 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | -6 | -14.3% |
| 1951 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1952 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1953 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1957 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1959 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1961 | -3 | — |
| 1962 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -6 | +100.0% |
| 1978 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1980 | 0 | — |
| 1981 | 0 | — |
| 1982 | 0 | — |
| 1983 | 0 | — |
| 1984 | 6 | — |
| 1985 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 1995 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 8 | +14.3% |
| 2010 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 8 | +0.0% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 8 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 8 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 8, 1.0× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1840s | -1 | -1 | -1 | 9 |
| 1850s | -1 | -1 | -1 | 7 |
| 1860s | -1 | -1 | -1 | 10 |
| 1870s | -1 | -1 | -1 | 10 |
| 1880s | -1 | -1 | -1 | 10 |
| 1890s | -1 | -1 | -1 | 10 |
| 1900s | -4.5 | -6 | -1 | 10 |
| 1910s | -6 | -6 | -6 | 10 |
| 1920s | -6 | -6 | -6 | 10 |
| 1930s | -8.7 | -9 | -6 | 10 |
| 1940s | -8.2 | -9 | -7 | 10 |
| 1950s | -6 | -6 | -6 | 10 |
| 1960s | -2.7 | -3 | 0 | 10 |
| 1970s | -3.3 | -6 | 0 | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.6 | 0 | 6 | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.6 | 6 | 7 | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.1 | 7 | 8 | 10 |
| 2010s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
- 52 Belgium 8 compare
- 52 Botswana 8 compare
- 52 Brazil 8 compare
- 52 East Timor 8 compare
- 52 Ghana 8 compare
- 52 Guatemala 8 compare
- 52 Kyrgyzstan 8 compare
- 52 Latvia 8 compare
- 52 Lesotho 8 compare
- 52 Mexico 8 compare
- 52 Myanmar 8 compare
- 52 Philippines 8 compare
- 52 Serbia 8 compare
- 52 Solomon Islands 8 compare
- 52 South Korea 8 compare
- 52 United Kingdom 8 compare
More social development data for El Salvador
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 182 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 68,182 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 5 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0107 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 68,182 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy index in El Salvador?
- Democracy index in El Salvador was 8 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy index recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 8 in 2009.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was -9 in 1931.
- How does El Salvador rank for democracy index?
- El Salvador ranks 52nd out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy index rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from -10 to 10 (fully democratic).