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 Latin American Studies 87
Spring 2000

El Salvador, Central America
Demographic Profile and Case Study

Bernabé NC García

| Demographic Profile | Economic Activity | Demographic Chart | Case Study |



El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America, and the only country without access to the Caribben Sea.

Demographic Profile

Population Figures

  • Total Population: 5,839,079 (July 1999 Est) from: CIA website
  • Urban Population: 55% (3,211,493) from: United Nations Publications; Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean, 1997 Edition, p.14
  • Rural Population: 45% (2,627,586) derived from Urban Population stats.

Interesting Population Trend
Please note the difference in San Salvador's population between the 1985 and the 1996 totals. If these totals are accurate, it represent a three hundred percent increase in the population of San Salvador in the 11 year period from 1985 - 1996. Since the population in the country actually decreased from 5.8 Million in 1985 to 5.78 Million in 1996 this represents a dramatic shift in population concentration. San Salvador went from being the 'home' for 7.88% of the population, to being the 'home' for 24% of the population. The dramatic change can be directly linked to the war. People were simply safer in the urban area than in their rural communities.

Cities: Capital--San Salvador (pop. 1.4 million) [23.98% of total population].
I assume this is 1996 data, since the BTS (see link below) date the total country's population as 5.8 Million with a date of 1996)
Other cities - San Miguel, Ahuachapan, Santa Ana, and Sonsonate.
From US Department of Transportation: Bureau of Transportation Statistics: http://www.bts.gov/itt/latin/central/elsalv.html

Largest Cities:
The following data from Britannica Online [Accessed 17 May 2000]

San Salvador: 459,902 (1985) [7.88% of total population]

San Miguel: 183,449 (mun) (1987)
Santa Ana: 137,879 (1985)
La Unión: 58,829 (1987)
Nueva San Salvador: 53,688 (1985)
Sonsonate: 48 ,436
San Vicente: 27,205 (1985)
Acajutla: 16,270 (1987)
Chalatenango: 11,654 (1985)
Sensuntepeque : 10,565 (1985)


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Economic Summary

  • Predominantly agricultural
  • rapid industrial expansion in the 1960s and '70s
  • The country must import food
    • disproportionate distribution of land in favour of commercial crops
    • many peasants landless and unable to grow subsistence crops.
  • Important agricultural products:
    • coffee
      • biggest part of total agricultural production
      • more than half of the value of exports
      • Biggest buyers are the United States, Germany, The Netherlands, and Japan
    • cotton
    • corn
    • sugarcane
  • Cattle raising
  • Commercial fishing
    • Mostly crustaceans (including lobster and shrimp)
    • also: mullet, snappers, jacks, groupers, sharks, and anchovies
  • No heavy mineral exploitation
  • Main power sources are Lempa River hydroelectric projects 35 miles NE of San Salvador
  • Tourism declined after 1979 but still significant
  • In 1980 commercial banks, export marketing agencies nationalized
  • For sea commerce, El Salvador relies on three ports--Acajutla, La Libertad, and Cutuco (near La Unión).

All economic information obtained from Encyclopædia Britannica Online "The Economy" [Accessed 17 May 2000]

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Population Distribution

Click on chart for bigger view

Detailed information of Age Distribution obtained from UN Economic Commission for latin America web site: http://www.eclac.org but in particular, the "poblacion.pdf" document.

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Case Study

Olof Palme International Center

Sveavägen 68, plan 5
Box 836, 101 36 Stockholm
Tel. 08-677 57 70. Fax. 08-677 57 71
E-post: info@palmecenter.se

"A Swedish conglomerate that coordinates the devolopment cooperation projects of the Swedish labor movement," but also "administers nearly 300 projects around the world" (Olof website). They emphasize aid t o El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Some of their projects include:

Olof Palme was the Prime Minister of Sweden, who had a passionate hatred for all aspects of discrimination or apartheid. Archbishop T revor Huddleston said, "To those of us engaged in the struggle to end apartheid the name of Olof Palme will aways be held in highest honour."

My Interest in this Organization

I have been interested in the educational progress in México ever since I first discovered during an Introductory Seminar Class "Earthquakes in Americas" and in an Anthropological Science class entitled "The Maya" that there were literally millions of people in México and Latin America who did not speak Spanish as a first language. With the raging debate over bi-lingual education in the U.S. I thought studying countries with many years of experience struggling with this issue would be illuminating. It has been my belief that education empowers individual with a sense of dignity, self-worth, and social knowledge. These skills should help the individual rise above barriers that exist only as a result of ignorance. When the Indian population no longer is ignorant of their rights as citizens, then they can began to make changes. In Ariel Dorfman's article "Bread and Burnt Rice: Culture and Economic Survival in Latin America," published in Grassroots Development 8:2, 1984, pp. 3-25., he relates a story about the change that education has made in the Indian population. Because positive changes result from education, I am supportive of organizations, such as Olof Palme International Center, who work to improve literacy through out all age groups.
 
 
 

 
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