Central Reserve Bank of El Salvador releases third set of population and housing census results with anonymized microdata and a new geoportal

The Central Reserve Bank of El Salvador has published the third release of results from the Seventh Population Census and Sixth Housing Census, expanding access to updated indicators on housing, households and population characteristics after a 17-year gap. The release makes new census products available for sociodemographic and territorial analysis down to district level. New outputs include an anonymized census database, a results report, a new geoportal for interactive exploration of variables, and an updated urban-rural distribution. The downloadable database is structured across five sections covering dwellings, households, population, international emigration and mortality, with information at departmental, municipal and district level. Headline results reported include a population of 6,029,976, with 52.8% women and 47.2% men; around one in four residents living in the department of San Salvador; and eight in 10 people reporting they live in the same place where they were born. The census records 1,920,668 households, with 45% headed by women, and three in 10 households classified as nuclear (father, mother and children). The new urban-rural classification, based on the Degree of Urbanization (DEGURBA) methodology, shows 70.7% of the population living in urban areas and 29.3% in rural areas, while 88% of national territory is classified as rural and 12% as urban. The bank also noted that the census was carried out fully digitally nationwide and that the results processing was completed quickly, positioning the publication as part of the ongoing census round and broader efforts to modernize El Salvador’s statistical system.