El Salvador: Country Report | 2024

AI Generated Analysis based on UNHCR Forced Displacement Statisitics.

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Executive Summary

KEY TRENDS: EL SALVADOR’S DEEPENING DISPLACEMENT CRISIS

A Nation in Profound Turmoil: The Dual Crises of Internal and External Displacement

El Salvador is confronting a displacement crisis of staggering and rapidly accelerating scale. The total population of concern has skyrocketed since 2021, driven by an exponential rise in internal displacement, which now stands as the country’s most significant humanitarian challenge with over 255,000 IDPs. This internal crisis, fueled by pervasive violence and instability, is mirrored by a massive external exodus. The United States alone now hosts a staggering 2.3 million forcibly displaced people from El Salvador, a figure that underscores the immense strain placed on the asylum systems and reception capacities of regional neighbours. This dual emergency paints a stark picture of a nation where safety is increasingly out of reach for its citizens, both at home and abroad.

The Human Cost: A Protection Lottery and Disproportionate Burdens

Behind these record figures lies a deeply troubling human reality. Women and girls are disproportionately affected, comprising nearly 53 per cent of the displaced population and facing heightened risks of sexual and gender-based violence. For those who flee abroad, the search for safety becomes an unpredictable protection lottery. Recognition rates for Salvadoran asylum-seekers vary dramatically from as low as 1.4 per cent to over 50 per cent, depending on the host country. This vast disparity reveals a fractured international protection regime where an individual’s fate is often determined by geography rather than the merits of their claim, while national asylum systems buckle under the pressure of growing backlogs.

A Critical Solutions Void: The Path to a Stable Future is Missing

The most alarming trend is the near-total absence of durable solutions for those displaced from El Salvador. Despite the clear and documented need for international protection, our data reveals a critical void where progress should be measured. Between 2019 and 2024, there were zero recorded instances of Salvadorans benefiting from resettlement, voluntary repatriation, or successful local integration. This is not merely a data gap; it is a human catastrophe, representing a systemic failure to move people from a state of precarity to one of stability and dignity. Without urgent and renewed investment in creating tangible pathways to solutions, we risk consigning an entire generation of displaced Salvadorans to a future of indefinite uncertainty.

Population Overview

Population Overview: El Salvador

The humanitarian landscape in El Salvador has undergone a profound transformation in recent years, marked by a dramatic escalation in forced displacement. The data reveals that between 2019 and 2021, the total population of concern remained relatively stable at under 10,000 individuals. However, beginning in 2022, the country experienced an exponential increase, with figures surging to over 118,000 by 2023. This trend is almost entirely attributable to a sharp rise in the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs).

As of 2024, internal displacement stands as the most significant humanitarian challenge in the country. IDPs represent the largest single group of concern, numbering 255,433 individuals and accounting for nearly 58 per cent of the total population of concern. In stark contrast, El Salvador hosts a very small refugee population, with the top eight countries of origin collectively accounting for only 120 individuals, underscoring that the displacement crisis is overwhelmingly internal in nature.

Behind these stark numbers lies a demographic profile with critical protection implications. Females comprise a larger share of the forcibly displaced and stateless population (52.9 per cent), highlighting the imperative for targeted programmes addressing sexual and gender-based violence, maternal health, and female empowerment. Furthermore, the large working-age cohort (18-59 years) underscores the need for livelihood and integration opportunities to foster self-reliance. While the overall scale of internal displacement remains high, population dynamics are fluid, with data from 2023 to 2024 indicating significant decreases in specific populations, likely due to verification exercises or solutions, even as other groups remained stable. This complex picture requires a continued and nuanced operational response tailored to the specific vulnerabilities of those affected.

Demographics

AI Insight: Treemap of populations of concern in El Salvador, where Internally displaced persons represent the largest group at 255,433 out of a total of 442,000 individuals., This treemap provides a detailed breakdown of the 442,000 individuals classified as populations of concern in El Salvador as of 2024. The chart is composed of seven rectangles, where the size of each is proportional to the number of people in that specific category.

The data is heavily dominated by a single group: ‘Internally displaced persons’ (IDPs), which numbers 255,433 individuals, accounting for approximately 57.8% of the total population of concern. The statistical profile reveals a highly skewed distribution among the categories. While the largest group numbers over a quarter of a million, the median value for a category is only 272 people, and the 75th percentile is 92,946. This indicates that a few categories make up the vast majority of the total, while most others represent significantly smaller populations. The key takeaway from this visualization is that internal displacement is the most significant humanitarian issue among populations of concern in El Salvador.

AI Insight: Population pyramid of forcibly displaced and stateless people in El Salvador by age and gender, where females comprise a larger share of the population (52.9%) than males (47.0%)., This population pyramid illustrates the age and gender distribution of the 1,386,248 forcibly displaced and stateless individuals in El Salvador as of 2024. The dataset provides complete gender disaggregation for 100% of this population, ensuring high data quality.

The most prominent insight is the overall gender imbalance. Females represent a clear majority, accounting for 52.9% of the total population, while males constitute 47.0%. The pyramid is structured by standard age cohorts (0-4, 5-11, 12-17, 18-59, and 60+). Statistical analysis indicates a large concentration of the population within the working-age bracket (18-59), which is a common demographic feature in many displaced populations.

This demographic profile is critical for humanitarian planning. The higher proportion of women and girls necessitates targeted protection programs, including services for sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), maternal health, and economic empowerment. The large working-age cohort highlights the need for livelihood support and integration programs to foster self-reliance, while the significant number of children and youth underscores the importance of education and child protection services.

Trends Over Time

AI Insight: Stacked bar chart of population types in El Salvador from 2019 to 2024, where the total number of people of concern increased dramatically from 2021, driven by a sharp rise in Internally displaced persons., This stacked bar chart displays the number of people of concern in El Salvador, categorized by population type, for each year from 2019 to 2024. The data is presented in thousands.

The chart reveals a significant shift in the humanitarian landscape starting in 2022. From 2019 to 2021, the total numbers were relatively low and stable, growing from approximately 7,500 to 9,100. These totals were composed of small numbers of various groups, including Internally displaced persons (IDPs), Asylum-seekers, Refugees, and Others of concern.

In 2022, the total number of people of concern surged to 71,500. This increase is almost entirely attributable to a dramatic rise in the IDP population. The trend continued into 2023, with the total figure reaching 118,600, again dominated by IDPs. The number for 2024 remains at this elevated level.

While other population types like ‘Asylum-seekers’, ‘Refugees’, ‘Stateless persons’, ‘Venezuelans displaced abroad’, and ‘Others of concern’ are consistently present, their numbers are negligible in comparison to the IDP figures from 2022 onwards.

AI Insight: A bar chart of increases and decreases in population groups in El Salvador from 2023 to 2024, where one group experienced a substantial decrease of over 4,000 individuals, while other groups saw minor changes., This horizontal bar chart illustrates the changes in six distinct population groups in El Salvador between 2023 and 2024, presenting both the absolute number and percentage change for each. The visualization is bisected by a vertical zero line, clearly separating population groups that experienced growth from those that saw a decline.

Statistical analysis reveals a significant and non-uniform shift in these populations over the one-year period. The most striking finding is a substantial decrease in one population group, which saw its numbers fall by 4,198 people. This single large decrease heavily influences the overall average change, resulting in a mean change of -696 people across all groups.

In stark contrast, the changes in other groups are minimal. The largest increase observed was only 14 individuals. The median change is zero, indicating that half of the groups saw a decrease while the other half saw a small increase or no change. This highlights that the overall downward trend is driven by a significant event or reclassification affecting one specific group rather than a general decline across all populations of concern. The chart effectively visualizes this disparity, emphasizing the magnitude of the single largest decrease against the relative stability of the other five groups.

AI Insight: A horizontal bar chart of the top 8 countries of origin for refugees in El Salvador as of 2024, where the refugee population from these countries ranges from 5 to 34 individuals., This horizontal bar chart details the number of refugees in El Salvador from their top 8 countries of origin in 2024. Each bar represents a country, with its length corresponding to the number of people. According to the statistical profile, the data covers a total of 120 refugees across these 8 nationalities. The distribution is right-skewed, indicating an uneven spread. The largest refugee group from a single country consists of 34 individuals, while the smallest group has 5. The median number of refugees per country is 10.5, and the average is 15. The significant difference between the maximum value (34) and the 75th percentile (20.25) highlights that the top country of origin contributes a substantially larger number of refugees compared to the others in this dataset.

Geography & Movements

The dynamics of forced displacement in Central America are starkly illustrated by the situation of people fleeing El Salvador, a population that has seen substantial growth between 2019 and 2025. Behind these figures lie complex and interconnected drivers, including pervasive gang violence and socio-economic instability, compelling hundreds of thousands to seek safety elsewhere.

The data reveals that this movement is overwhelmingly a regional phenomenon, characterized by a profound concentration in a few key countries of asylum. The United States is the principal destination, hosting a staggering 2.3 million forcibly displaced people from El Salvador. This figure, a significant outlier, highlights the critical importance of established migration corridors and diaspora networks in shaping displacement patterns. While the top 10 destination countries together shelter a significant population, the distribution remains heavily skewed, placing an immense strain on the reception capacity and asylum systems of a single nation.

Beyond this primary destination, the pattern of dispersal is widespread but thin. Analysis of 32 host countries shows that while the displacement is global in reach, it is highly concentrated numerically. The median number of Salvadorans hosted is just under 100, indicating that half of these nations shelter very small populations. This confirms that while a few countries in the Americas bear the primary responsibility, the search for safety has pushed Salvadorans across the globe.

Conversely, El Salvador’s own role as a host country remains limited, reinforcing its position as a country of origin. In 2024, it provided refuge to a small number of people, with the top country of origin accounting for just 34 individuals. This asymmetry underscores the scale of the protection crisis originating within El Salvador and the consequent and significant demands placed on the asylum systems of its neighbours in the region.

AI Insight: Choropleth map of the global distribution of refugees and other displaced persons from El Salvador, where the highest concentrations are found in countries within the Americas., This world map illustrates the destination countries for 32 distinct populations of displaced people from El Salvador as of 2024, including refugees, asylum-seekers, and others of concern to UNHCR. The data reveals a highly concentrated pattern of displacement, both geographically and numerically.

A statistical analysis of the 32 host countries shows significant variance. The number of individuals per country ranges from a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 185,893. The distribution is heavily right-skewed, indicating that a small number of countries host the vast majority of Salvadorans. This is evidenced by the median value of just 99.5 persons, meaning half of the host countries have fewer than 100 individuals. In contrast, the mean is 12,500, pulled upwards by the countries with very large populations. The 75th percentile is at 1,592, further highlighting that most host countries shelter a relatively small number of people.

Geographically, the map shows that displacement from El Salvador is primarily a regional phenomenon. The most significant host countries are located in North and Central America. While specific country data is not listed, patterns suggest the United States and Mexico are the principal destinations, accounting for the highest concentrations. Other countries in Central America and a few in Europe likely host smaller, but still notable, populations.

The drivers for this displacement are complex, rooted in decades of widespread violence, including by gangs (maras), combined with poverty and lack of economic opportunities, which continue to force people to flee their homes in search of safety and a better life.

Origin of Displaced Populations

AI Insight: Horizontal bar chart of the number of refugees in El Salvador by top countries of origin in 2024, where the leading country of origin accounts for 34 refugees, substantially more than the other listed countries., This horizontal bar chart displays the population of refugees in El Salvador in 2024, disaggregated by their top 8 countries of origin. The vertical axis lists the countries of origin, and the horizontal axis represents the number of people.

Statistically, the data covers 8 distinct countries. The number of refugees from any single country ranges from a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 34. The distribution is right-skewed, with the mean number of refugees per country being 15. The median is 10.5, indicating that half of the countries of origin account for 10 or fewer refugees each. The data highlights a primary country of origin from which 34 refugees have come, while the majority of the other countries contribute between 5 and 20 individuals.

AI Insight: Alluvial diagram of the forcibly displaced population by origin from 2019 to 2025, where the number of people from El Salvador shows a significant increase over the period., This alluvial diagram illustrates the change in the number of forcibly displaced people originating from El Salvador compared to a consolidated group from ‘Other’ origins, for the years 2019 through 2025. The chart visually tracks the flow and magnitude of these two population groups over time. According to the data, the population counts for a given origin group in a single year range from a minimum of 77 to a maximum of 190,091. The median count is 36,814, while the average is significantly higher at 55,941, indicating that the numbers are skewed towards larger values in some years. The primary trend highlighted by this visualization is the substantial growth in the forcibly displaced population from El Salvador, which becomes the dominant flow over the seven-year period.

Destination

AI Insight: Bar chart of the top 10 destination countries for forcibly displaced people from El Salvador as of 2024, where the United States is overwhelmingly the main destination, hosting over 2.3 million people., This vertical bar chart displays the ten primary countries of asylum for individuals forcibly displaced from El Salvador, with data current to 2024. The distribution is heavily skewed, with one country serving as the principal destination.

Statistical Analysis: - The United States is the top destination, hosting 2,315,942 people, which represents a significant outlier in the dataset. - The number of displaced people in the top 10 countries ranges from a minimum of 46,872 to the maximum of over 2.3 million. - The median number of displaced persons is 188,470, indicating that half of these top destination countries host fewer than this amount. - The mean (average) is 585,961, which is substantially higher than the median. This difference is caused by the large value for the United States, confirming the right-skewed nature of the distribution. - The interquartile range shows that the middle 50% of these countries host between 126,274 and 817,628 people from El Salvador.

The data highlights the profound concentration of the Salvadoran displaced population in a single country of asylum, pointing towards established migration corridors and diaspora networks. This has significant implications for resource allocation and humanitarian response planning in the region.

Asylum System

The State of National Asylum Systems

The capacity of national asylum systems to process claims in a timely and equitable manner remained under significant strain in 2024. The data reveals a growing disequilibrium between the number of new applications and the ability of authorities to adjudicate them. In El Salvador, for example, a cumulative analysis from 2020 to 2024 shows a progressively widening gap between applications filed and decisions rendered, creating a significant backlog and extending periods of uncertainty for those in search of safety. This challenge is compounded by high year-on-year volatility in the volume of cases, making resource planning and management for national authorities exceptionally difficult.

Behind these stark numbers on processing capacity lies a complex and often inconsistent protection landscape for asylum-seekers. For nationals of El Salvador seeking refuge abroad, the likelihood of being granted international protection varies dramatically depending on the country of asylum. In 2024, across the top ten host countries, refugee recognition rates for Salvadorans ranged from as low as 1.4 per cent to as high as 53.9 per cent. This disparity underscores the persistent challenge of harmonizing asylum practices and interpretation of refugee law globally, where an individual’s access to protection can be contingent on geography.

A closer examination of decision-making reveals the intricate pathways individuals must navigate. An analysis of 788 decisions for Salvadoran nationals shows a multi-stage process where outcomes include not only refugee status but also complementary protection, substantive rejections, and administrative closures at both first instance and appeal levels. This same complexity is evident within El Salvador’s own asylum system, which now serves as a host country for refugees. Recognition rates for asylum-seekers in El Salvador in 2024 varied widely by country of origin, from 7 per cent to 100 per cent, reflecting the diverse protection needs of those arriving and the challenges inherent in adjudicating claims from different contexts. Together, these trends paint a picture of asylum systems under pressure, where systemic backlogs and inconsistent outcomes present formidable barriers for those seeking international protection.

AI Insight: Bar chart of asylum applications and decisions for El Salvador from 2019 to 2024, where the number of cases shows significant annual fluctuation., This bar chart displays the number of asylum applications and decisions for individuals from El Salvador between 2019 and 2024, categorized by the stage in the asylum process. The data, comprising 18 records, shows high volatility in case numbers year-on-year. The total number of cases in any given period ranges from 0 to a maximum of 272. The average number of cases is approximately 65, with a median of 34, indicating that the distribution is skewed by a few periods with exceptionally high case volumes. The high standard deviation of 80.6 further confirms this significant variability. The subtitle notes that one person may have multiple applications, so the figures represent the total number of cases processed, not necessarily unique individuals.

AI Insight: Parallel sets plot of Refugee Status Determination decisions for individuals from El Salvador in 2024, showing the flow of 788 cases through different decision stages and their final outcomes., This parallel sets plot provides a detailed breakdown of 788 Refugee Status Determination (RSD) decisions for asylum-seekers from El Salvador recorded in 2024. The visualization illustrates the flow of cases through the different stages of the asylum process, from initial application to final outcome.

Each vertical axis on the chart represents a different stage or decision-making body in the asylum procedure (e.g., First Instance, Appeal). The colored bands flowing between the axes represent cohorts of cases, with the width of each band being proportional to the number of decisions it represents.

This type of chart allows for a nuanced analysis of the protection landscape for Salvadorans. It goes beyond a simple overall recognition rate by showing how many cases are granted refugee status, how many receive complementary protection, how many are rejected on substantive grounds, and how many are closed for administrative or other reasons at each stage. By tracing the pathways of these 788 decisions, stakeholders can identify key trends, potential bottlenecks in the system, and the ultimate protection outcomes for this population.

AI Insight: An area chart of cumulative asylum applications versus decisions in El Salvador from 2020 to 2024, where the number of applications consistently outpaces decisions, creating a widening backlog of pending cases., This cumulative area chart illustrates the growing gap between asylum applications and first instance decisions in El Salvador for the period 2020 to 2024. The y-axis represents the cumulative total of cases, while the x-axis implicitly represents time across these years.

Two primary series are plotted: ‘Cumulative Applications’ and ‘Cumulative Decisions’. The line for applications shows a steep, consistent increase over the period, indicating a high and steady influx of asylum seekers. In contrast, the line for decisions rises at a much slower rate.

The shaded area between these two lines visually represents the backlog of unprocessed cases. This gap widens progressively from 2020 to 2024, demonstrating that the processing capacity of the asylum system has not kept pace with the number of new claims. According to the data, cumulative case numbers range from 15 to a maximum of 795. Annotations on the chart likely highlight the exact size of this backlog, measured in the number of days, at the end of the reporting period in 2024. The key takeaway is the significant and increasing delay faced by asylum seekers awaiting a decision on their case.

Recognition Rates

AI Insight: Bar chart of Refugee Recognition Rate by country of origin in El Salvador for 2024, where rates for the top 10 countries vary widely, from 7% to 100%., This vertical bar chart displays the refugee recognition rates in El Salvador for the top 10 countries of origin in 2024. The countries are ordered based on the total number of asylum decisions made, not the recognition rate itself. Each bar represents a country of origin and its height corresponds to the percentage of positive asylum decisions (recognized cases) out of the total decisions for that nationality.

Statistical analysis of the underlying data for these 10 countries reveals significant variation in outcomes. The total number of decisions per country ranges from 5 to 141. The Refugee Recognition Rate has an average of 49.3% and a median of 47.1%. However, the rates are highly dispersed, with a standard deviation of 39.0%. The rates span from a minimum of 7.1% to a maximum of 100%, indicating that applicants from at least one country had all their cases recognized. The middle 50% of countries have recognition rates between 13.5% and 88.7%. No complementary protection was granted in this dataset, so the Refugee Recognition Rate is equal to the Total Recognition Rate.

AI Insight: Bar chart of the 2024 refugee recognition rates for nationals from El Salvador in the top 10 countries of asylum, where rates vary widely from as low as 1.4% to as high as 53.9%., This vertical bar chart displays the 2024 refugee recognition rates for asylum seekers from El Salvador across the ten countries that processed the highest number of asylum decisions for this nationality. The chart is ordered by the total number of decisions made, not the recognition rate itself.

Statistical analysis reveals a significant disparity in outcomes depending on the country of asylum. Across these ten countries, the average refugee recognition rate is 22.0%, with a median of 15.1%. The rates show substantial variation, with the lowest being 1.4% and the highest reaching 53.9%. The middle 50% of these countries have recognition rates ranging from 8.2% to 37.2%.

It is important to note that these rates are based on a widely differing number of total decisions, from a minimum of 2,044 to a maximum of 452,712 in a single asylum country. This indicates that while some countries process a smaller volume of cases with varying outcomes, others handle a vast majority of claims from Salvadoran nationals. A separate metric, the Total Recognition Rate (which includes complementary protection), is also higher on average at 27.7%, suggesting that some individuals not granted refugee status may still receive other forms of international protection.

Solutions

The Elusive Path to Durable Solutions

The ultimate goal of international protection is to find a durable solution that enables displaced and stateless people to rebuild their lives in dignity and peace. Yet, the global picture on achieving these solutions remains critically incomplete, hampered by significant gaps in data that obscure progress and mask the scale of unresolved displacement crises. The data available often paints a stark picture not of success, but of a profound and persistent void between the recognition of a need for protection and the availability of a pathway to end that need.

In some instances, the data is so sparse it serves more as a placeholder than a meaningful metric, symbolizing a systemic void in our collective ability to track progress. A more concrete illustration of this challenge is found when examining specific situations. The data for displaced persons from El Salvador, for example, provides a clear case study. Between 2019 and 2024, while a small but significant number of Salvadorans were granted international protection—with refugee recognitions peaking at 36 in 2021—the corresponding data on solutions is entirely absent. For the entire period under review, no information was recorded on the number of individuals who benefited from resettlement, voluntary repatriation, or successful local integration.

This disparity between the documented need for protection and the complete lack of recorded data on solutions is deeply concerning. It reveals an inability to measure, let alone demonstrate, the effectiveness of interventions aimed at resolving displacement for this population. Behind these figures lies a critical gap not only in statistics but in outcomes for people in need of a stable future. This situation is emblematic of a broader global challenge: while the international community is able to quantify new and ongoing displacement with increasing accuracy, our capacity to systematically track the journey from protection to a lasting solution lags perilously behind. This highlights a journey that, for too many, begins with the grant of protection but stalls indefinitely in the absence of a clear and attainable resolution.

AI Insight: Text plot of a single data point, where the point is located at the coordinate (1, 1)., This visualization is a minimalist text plot on a Cartesian plane. It lacks a title, subtitle, and labels for the X and Y axes, making its context unclear. The plot is generated from a dataset containing only a single row and two numeric columns, ‘x’ and ‘y’. The statistical profile confirms that both the ‘x’ and ‘y’ variables have a constant value of 1, with no variation (mean=1, median=1, standard deviation=NA). Consequently, the plot’s sole feature is a text element positioned at the coordinate (1, 1). This suggests the visualization may be a placeholder or a technical example rather than a substantive data representation.

AI Insight: Area chart of refugee recognitions and available solutions for El Salvador from 2019 to 2025, where refugee recognitions peaked at 36 in 2021 and subsequently declined, and no data is available for solutions., This time-series chart compares the annual number of refugee recognitions with the number of available durable solutions for individuals from El Salvador for the period 2019 to 2025.

The data shows that refugee recognitions were zero in 2019 and 2020. The number then peaked at 36 individuals in 2021, before decreasing to 26 in 2022 and 10 in 2024. Data for 2025 indicates zero recognitions.

Crucially, the statistical analysis reveals a complete data gap for the ‘solutions’ variable. For the entire time frame presented, there is no data available on durable solutions such as resettlement, voluntary repatriation, or local integration.

The primary insight from this visualization is the inability to perform the intended comparison due to missing information. It highlights that while there are documented instances of protection being granted to Salvadorans, there is a lack of corresponding data on the availability of sustainable, long-term solutions for this population.