| Economy - overview: | The smallest country in Central America, El Salvador has the third largest economy, but growth has been minimal in recent years. Hoping to stimulate the sluggish economy, the government is striving to open new export markets, encourage foreign investment, and modernize the tax and healthcare systems. Implementation in 2006 of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, which El Salvador was the first to ratify, is viewed as a key policy to help achieve these objectives. The trade deficit has been offset by annual remittances from Salvadorans living abroad - 16% of GDP in 2004 - and external aid. With the adoption of the US dollar as its currency, El Salvador has lost control over monetary policy and must concentrate on maintaining a disciplined fiscal policy. |
| GDP - per capita | $5,100 (2005 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate (%) | 2% (2005 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum; shrimp; beef, dairy products |
| GDP - composition by sector (%) | agriculture: 9.8%, industry: 30.3%, services: 60% (2005 est.) |
| Industries | food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals |
| Economic aid - recipient | $125 million of which, $53 million from US (2003) |
| Debt - external | $8.273 billion (30 June 2005 est.) |
| Population below poverty line (%) | 36.1% (2003 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation (%) | agriculture 17.1%, industry 17.1%, services 65.8% (2003 est.) |
Environment, Land use / Resources, Economy, Population / Demographics, Infrastructure, Health -- CIA World Factbook, 2005
