Central Reserve Bank of El Salvador publishes results of the 2025 National Survey of Financial Inclusion and Education using a fully digital process

The Central Reserve Bank of El Salvador released the results of the 2025 National Survey of Financial Inclusion and Education (ENIEF 2025), produced for the first time through a 100% digital process. The publication provides an updated diagnostic of financial inclusion and financial education nationally and by department, including access to and use of financial products and services, digital channel use, and an updated financial literacy indicator. The survey covered people aged 18 and over nationwide across urban and rural areas in all 14 departments, with a representative sample of 10,776 households. Data were collected between 22 September and 22 October 2025 and expanded to the population using the 2024 Population and Housing Census estimate of 4,516,000 adults. Headline results include: 46.9% of respondents reported having a savings account at a formal financial institution (79 out of 100 of those have an associated debit card); 23.0% reported having some type of loan and 10.8% a credit card; 22.4% reported having formal insurance (13.3% life insurance and 7.7% medical insurance); and 20.1% reported having a retirement savings account, with 82.9% held with pension fund administrators. Remittances were received by 25.8% of respondents through channels including remittance companies and credits to savings accounts, while Transfer365 accounted for 93.0% of interbank transfer operations among those who make such transfers. The financial literacy indicator scored 14.3 out of 21, and results are disaggregated by sex, age, income level, geographic zone, and department. The Central Reserve Bank of El Salvador framed the dataset as an input to updating the National Financial Inclusion Policy by helping identify access barriers, gender gaps, and priority areas for evidence-based interventions.