Largest cities in El Salvador by population
The 11 cities the United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2024 lists for El Salvador: the capital and every city of 100,000 or more, with the latest figure the country reported. The largest is Soyapango with 284,347 people; the capital, San Salvador, has 200,319.
Who runs cities in El Salvador?
Municipalities (44 since 2024; 262 before): Municipal council of mayor, síndico and councillors, elected for three years. Local roads, street lighting, waste, markets, local development (Municipal Code 1986).
How local power works in El Salvador · Level 3: local councils worldwide
| # | City | Population | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soyapango | 284,347 | 1 July 2021 |
| 2 | San Miguel | 283,264 | 1 July 2021 |
| 3 | Santa Ana | 278,743 | 1 July 2021 |
| 4 | Apopa | 202,871 | 1 July 2021 |
| 5 | San Salvador (capital) | 200,319 | 1 July 2021 |
| 6 | Ilopango | 145,315 | 1 July 2021 |
| 7 | Santa Tecla | 140,144 | 1 July 2021 |
| 8 | Mejicanos | 139,945 | 1 July 2021 |
| 9 | Ahuachapán | 137,186 | 1 July 2021 |
| 10 | Ciudad Delgado | 126,297 | 1 July 2021 |
| 11 | San Martin | 115,098 | 1 July 2021 |
Countries define a city in different ways (the city proper, or the wider urban area) and report in different years, so cities in different countries are not always comparable.
More on El Salvador: official statistics · government and power · regions
Sources
- United Nations Statistics Division: Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 8: Population of capital cities and cities of 100 000 or more inhabitants, latest available year, 2005-2024, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0c6784df022e…)
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