Factsheet El Salvador

El Salvador is a major origin country of migrants. Home to 6.5 million people, the country is the most densely populated in Central America, with deeply rooted social inequalities. High levels of violence and conflict, a stagnant economy, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, and high levels of food insecurity caused by environmental degradation and severe climate shocks have pushed growing numbers of people to leave the country over the past two decades. Moreover, for children, the desire to reunify with close family members motivates them to take the dangerous migratory route.