El Salvador Factbook

El Salvador means "The Savior" in Spanish. It has experienced much turmoil, injustice, and hardship, but has also seen many turn to the Savior over the last 40 years. Pray for the church as it experiences growing pains and deals with people who have many physical needs.

El Salvador is located in Central America. It borders on the Pacific Ocean, Guatemala, and Honduras. The land area is fairly small – about twice the size of Jamaica. It is only a short distance north of the equator and has a tropical climate. Most of the land is mountainous with a small coastal plain.

The population of El Salvador is approximately 6.5 million making it by far the most densely populated country in the region. Nearly all of the people (over 98%) are Spanish-speaking.

Most of the people of El Salvador know only poverty. Years of civil war, natural disasters, and government corruption have ravaged the economy. Historically, a relatively small number of land owners hold most of the wealth. The last few years have brought an end of war and some signs of improvement, but overall the economy is still quite poor.

El Salvador gained independence from Spain in 1821. Over the years, the government was run mostly by corrupt dictatorships. This eventually led to an armed insurrection beginning in 1981 and lasting for 12 years. A new constitution which established the government as a republic was adopted in 1983 and holds force today.

The Roman Catholic Church is the official state church, but there is freedom of religion. The number of Catholics is listed as 75% of the population. That percentage has been dropping over the years. In 1960 evangelicals accounted for approximately 2% of the population. Today, that number exceeds 15%. Note that most evangelicals in El Salvador are charismatic.

There is certainly much for which to praise the Lord, but there are still many needs. The rapid growth of churches has created a great need for trained pastors. Training facilities are in limited supply. There have also been many people who have turned away from the church after making professions of faith. Years of war have displaced many – several hundred thousand children have been abandoned and need care.

Praise the Lord for a growing missions vision in the El Salvador church. More missionaries have gone out from El Salvador than have come to El Salvador to minister. Pray for an ever growing desire for mission work by the church.

Copyright 2006 by Brad Garrison

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