Departments of El Salvador: population and official figures
El Salvador is divided into 14 departments. The largest by population is San Salvador with 1,563,371 people (26.4% of the total); the smallest is Cabanas with 143,049. Population, schooling, employment and electricity figures come from the Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador and its Oficina Nacional de Estadistica y Censos: the 2024 Population and Housing Census tables by department and the 2022 Multi-Purpose Household Survey (EHPM) report.
Who governs El Salvador's departments?
Departments (14): Governor appointed by the president. Represents the executive; no political power of its own.
How local power works in El Salvador · Level 5: devolved and state governments worldwide
All 14 departments, largest first
| # | Department | Population | Year | Growth (1 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Salvador | 1,563,371 | 2024 | – |
| 2 | La Libertad | 765,879 | 2024 | – |
| 3 | Santa Ana | 552,938 | 2024 | – |
| 4 | Sonsonate | 470,455 | 2024 | – |
| 5 | San Miguel | 447,634 | 2024 | – |
| 6 | Ahuachapan | 348,880 | 2024 | – |
| 7 | Usulutan | 325,494 | 2024 | – |
| 8 | La Paz | 318,374 | 2024 | – |
| 9 | Cuscatlan | 244,901 | 2024 | – |
| 10 | La Union | 224,375 | 2024 | – |
| 11 | Chalatenango | 185,930 | 2024 | – |
| 12 | Morazan | 169,784 | 2024 | – |
| 13 | San Vicente | 161,857 | 2024 | – |
| 14 | Cabanas | 143,049 | 2024 | – |
Cities: the largest cities of El Salvador.
More on El Salvador: official statistics · government and power · local power
Sources
- Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador (BCR) / Oficina Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (ONEC): VII Censo de Poblacion y VI de Vivienda 2024: poblacion total por departamento, edades quinquenales y sexo (TAB_POB_2), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 bb74b81f0d5b…)
- Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador (BCR) / Oficina Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (ONEC): Censo 2024: poblacion de 3 anos o mas por departamento, edad, sexo y condicion de leer y escribir (TAB_EDU_3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fdd169f5525b…)
- Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador (BCR) / Oficina Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (ONEC): Censo 2024: poblacion de 3 anos o mas segun manejo de un segundo idioma (TAB_IDIO_1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 2ccb6cff3883…)
- Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador (BCR) / Oficina Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (ONEC): Censo 2024: emigrantes por departamento de residencia del hogar, pais de residencia actual y sexo (TAB_EMI_3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3cf7c746df0e…)
- Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador (BCR) / Oficina Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (ONEC): Censo 2024: poblacion de 10 anos o mas economicamente activa ocupada por departamento, edad, horas trabajadas y sexo (TAB_CE_4), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e572eea5da5c…)
- Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador (BCR) / Oficina Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (ONEC): Censo 2024: viviendas particulares segun tipo de suministro de energia electrica por departamento (TAB_VIV_19), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 444e5f1e904c…)
- Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador (BCR) / Oficina Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (ONEC): Encuesta de Hogares de Propositos Multiples 2022: resultados (Tabla 1.1 poblacion y densidad; Graficos 2.3 y 4.7), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 584a21f9c420…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.