Public Sector Corruption Index in El Salvador
El Salvador: Public Sector Corruption Index was 0.562 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Public Sector Corruption Index in El Salvador, 1838–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, public sector corruption index in El Salvador stood at 0.562.
The figure is down 8.0% on the previous year and down 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public sector corruption index in El Salvador peaked at 0.729 in 1931 and was at its lowest, 0.531, in 1993.
El Salvador ranks 82nd of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Public Sector Corruption Index in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1838 | 0.642 | — |
| 1839 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1840 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1841 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1842 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1843 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1844 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1845 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1846 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1847 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1848 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1849 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1850 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1851 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1852 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1853 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1854 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1855 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1856 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1857 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1858 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1859 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1860 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1861 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1862 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1863 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1864 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1865 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1866 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1867 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1868 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1869 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1870 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1871 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1872 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1873 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1874 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1875 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1876 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1877 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1878 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1879 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1880 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1881 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1882 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1883 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1884 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1886 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1887 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1888 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1889 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1891 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1892 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1893 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1894 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1896 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1897 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1898 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1899 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1901 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.642 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.729 | +13.6% |
| 1932 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.729 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.699 | -4.1% |
| 1946 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.699 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.596 | -14.7% |
| 1981 | 0.596 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.596 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.596 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.674 | +13.1% |
| 1985 | 0.674 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.674 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.674 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.674 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.601 | -10.8% |
| 1990 | 0.601 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.601 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.573 | -4.7% |
| 1993 | 0.531 | -7.3% |
| 1994 | 0.531 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.531 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.531 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.531 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.531 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.531 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.531 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.531 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.531 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.531 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.668 | +25.8% |
| 2005 | 0.668 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.668 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.668 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.668 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.657 | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 0.657 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.657 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.657 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.578 | -12.0% |
| 2014 | 0.578 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.578 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.598 | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 0.623 | +4.2% |
| 2018 | 0.702 | +12.7% |
| 2019 | 0.653 | -7.0% |
| 2020 | 0.669 | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 0.669 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.669 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.669 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.611 | -8.7% |
| 2025 | 0.562 | -8.0% |
El Salvador compared with similar countries
- El Salvador's 0.562 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5295, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- El Salvador's 0.562 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.467, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 0.642 | 0.642 | 0.642 | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.642 | 0.642 | 0.642 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.642 | 0.642 | 0.642 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.642 | 0.642 | 0.642 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.642 | 0.642 | 0.642 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.642 | 0.642 | 0.642 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.642 | 0.642 | 0.642 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.642 | 0.642 | 0.642 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.642 | 0.642 | 0.642 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.642 | 0.642 | 0.642 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.7203 | 0.642 | 0.729 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.714 | 0.699 | 0.729 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.699 | 0.699 | 0.699 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.699 | 0.699 | 0.699 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.699 | 0.699 | 0.699 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6355 | 0.596 | 0.674 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5492 | 0.531 | 0.601 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6121 | 0.531 | 0.668 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6281 | 0.578 | 0.702 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6415 | 0.562 | 0.669 | 6 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
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 public sector corruption index in El Salvador?
- Public sector corruption index in El Salvador was 0.562 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest public sector corruption index recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 0.729 in 1931.
- What is the lowest public sector corruption index recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.531 in 1993.
- How does El Salvador rank for public sector corruption index?
- El Salvador ranks 82nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is public sector corruption index rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Public Sector Corruption Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 188 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of the extent to which public sector employees engage in bribery and theft. The index ranges from 0 to 1 (highly corrupt).