Share of population with no formal education in El Salvador
El Salvador: Share of population with no formal education was 1.8% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of population with no formal education in El Salvador, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population with no formal education in El Salvador stood at 1.8%. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of down 43.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with no formal education in El Salvador peaked at 94.4% in 1870 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 2020.
That places El Salvador 71st out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population with no formal education in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 94.4% | — |
| 1875 | 93.1% | -1.4% |
| 1880 | 91.6% | -1.6% |
| 1885 | 89.8% | -2.0% |
| 1890 | 87.7% | -2.3% |
| 1895 | 85.5% | -2.5% |
| 1900 | 80.6% | -5.7% |
| 1905 | 78.5% | -2.6% |
| 1910 | 74.2% | -5.5% |
| 1915 | 73.1% | -1.5% |
| 1920 | 71.5% | -2.2% |
| 1925 | 69.9% | -2.2% |
| 1930 | 68.8% | -1.6% |
| 1935 | 69.0% | +0.3% |
| 1940 | 69.2% | +0.3% |
| 1945 | 66.6% | -3.8% |
| 1950 | 63.8% | -4.2% |
| 1955 | 60.9% | -4.5% |
| 1960 | 55.9% | -8.2% |
| 1965 | 50.5% | -9.7% |
| 1970 | 43.9% | -13.1% |
| 1975 | 38.3% | -12.8% |
| 1980 | 33.4% | -12.8% |
| 1985 | 30.9% | -7.5% |
| 1990 | 27.5% | -11.0% |
| 1995 | 22.9% | -16.7% |
| 2000 | 17.7% | -22.7% |
| 2005 | 12.0% | -32.2% |
| 2010 | 3.2% | -73.3% |
| 2015 | 2.3% | -28.1% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | -21.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 93.8% | 93.1% | 94.4% | 2 |
| 1880s | 90.7% | 89.8% | 91.6% | 2 |
| 1890s | 86.6% | 85.5% | 87.7% | 2 |
| 1900s | 79.5% | 78.5% | 80.6% | 2 |
| 1910s | 73.7% | 73.1% | 74.2% | 2 |
| 1920s | 70.7% | 69.9% | 71.5% | 2 |
| 1930s | 68.9% | 68.8% | 69.0% | 2 |
| 1940s | 67.9% | 66.6% | 69.2% | 2 |
| 1950s | 62.3% | 60.9% | 63.8% | 2 |
| 1960s | 53.2% | 50.5% | 55.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 41.1% | 38.3% | 43.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 32.1% | 30.9% | 33.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 25.2% | 22.9% | 27.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 14.8% | 12.0% | 17.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 2.8% | 2.3% | 3.2% | 2 |
| 2020s | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
- 68 Austria 1.9% compare
- 68 South Africa 1.9% compare
- 68 Zimbabwe 1.9% compare
- 71 Bulgaria 1.8% compare
- 71 Costa Rica 1.8% compare
- 71 Iceland 1.8% compare
- 71 Philippines 1.8% compare
More education data for El Salvador
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 17,715 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 21,853 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 100,826 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 100,758 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 417,193 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 594,860 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0939 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population with no formal education in El Salvador?
- Share of population with no formal education in El Salvador was 1.8% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population with no formal education recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 94.4% in 1870.
- What is the lowest share of population with no formal education recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 2020.
- How does El Salvador rank for share of population with no formal education?
- El Salvador ranks 71st out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population with no formal education rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 43.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population with no formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of adults aged between 15 and 64 years old with no formal education.