El Salvador’s 22 leading exported food categories highlighted below generated US$878.2 million worth of international sales or 12.3% of the country’s overall exports.
In contrast, El Salvador spent $1.7 billion on the key food imports listed in this article.
From a demographic perspective, El Salvador’s population was 6.4 billion in 2023. According to Worldometer, the population density for Central American nation was 307 people per square kilometer (796 per square mile).
Exported Food from El Salvador
Listed below are the major food products shipped from El Salvador during 2023. These categories are listed in descending order.
- Sugar: US$229.3 million (down -2.6% since 2021)
- Bread, biscuits, cakes, pastries: $128.4 million (up 15.1%)
- Fish, caviar (preserved/prepared): $100.8 million (up 19.2%)
- Miscellaneous food preparations: $59.2 million (up 1.5%)
- Prepared cereal foods: $49.9 million (down -9.9%)
- Cereal flours: $46.4 million (up 33.9%)
- Sugar confectionery (no cocoa): $46.3 million (up 9.1%)
- Cheese, curd: $41.2 million (up 14.5%)
- Molasses: $36.7 million (down -3.9%)
- Sauces, mixed condiments, seasonings: $24.4 million (down -1.7%)
- Margarine: $21.9 million (up 8.4%)
- Miscellaneous preserved fruits: $20.5 million (down -38.3%)
- Wheat or meslin flour: $16.4 million (down -6.4%)
- Soups, broths: $8.6 million (down -2.6%)
- Frozen vegetables: $8.5 million (down -7.6%)
- Ice cream, other edible ice: $7.7 million (up 1.7%)
- Chocolate, other cocoa preparations: $6 million (up 7.1%)
- Whole fish (frozen): $5.9 million (down -11.9%)
- Frozen fruits, nuts: $5.84 million (down -3.1%)
- Miscellaneous fresh/chilled vegetables: $5.77 million (down -48.5%)
- Rice: $5.1 million (up 80.6%)
- Dried, salted or smoked fish: $3.5 million (down -44.2%)
The bulk of the entries listed above are processed food items.
El Salvador’s Fastest-Growing Food Exports
The greatest year-over-year increases for major El Salvadoran food exports were recorded for rice (up 80.6% from 2021), cereal flours (up 33.9%), preserved or prepared fish and caviar (up 19.2%), bread, biscuits, cakes and pastries (up 15.1%), then cheese including curd (up 14.5%).
Ten among the 22 listed food exports posted increases compared to 2021.
The strongest reduction was for El Salvador’s shipments of miscellaneous fresh or chilled vegetables via a -48.5% setback.
Major Food Imports by El Salvador
Below, you will find the product categories that attracted the greatest spending from El Salvadoran food importers. The list starts with the leading food imports.
- Corn: US$287.1 million (up 54.2% since 2021)
- Miscellaneous food preparations: $195.8 million (up 9%)
- Cheese, curd: $179.3 million (down -12.4%)
- Wheat: $140.3 million (down -29.4%)
- Fresh or chilled beef: $132.9 million (down -1%)
- Bread, biscuits, cakes, pastries: $94.8 million (up 16.2%)
- Sauces, mixed condiments, seasonings: $76.6 million (up 9.2%)
- Margarine: $69.2 million (up 26.7%)
- Concentrated/sweetened milk, cream: $60.8 million (up 20.8%)
- Frozen beef: $53.3 million (up 10.4%)
- Rice: $51.7 million (up 35%)
- Miscellaneous meat (preserved/prepared): $44.4 million (up 19.4%)
- Swine meat: $37.3 million (down -3.5%)
- Dried shelled vegetables: $36.4 million (up 17.1%)
- Soups, broths: $34.9 million (up 10.8%)
- Sausages: $31.3 million (up 0.6%)
- Sugar confectionery (no cocoa): $28.8 million (up 19.8%)
- Chocolate, other cocoa preparations: $27.5 million (up 4.4%)
- Miscellaneous prepared/preserved vegetables (frozen): $27.3 million (up 32.4%)
- Dates/figs/pineapples/mangoes/avocadoes/guavas: $26.1 million (down -9.9%)
- Apples, pears (fresh): $25.2 million (down -14.4%)
- Prepared cereal foods: $24.2 million (down -9.8%)
Notable entries among the El Salvadoran imported food items are fruits and vegetables, wheat and meat.
El Salvador’s Fastest-Growing Food Imports
Corn posted the greatest increase in El Salvadoran expenditures on the imported food categories presented in this article, via its 54.2% gain from 2021.
In second place were El Salvador’s imports of rice (up 35%), miscellaneous prepared or preserved frozen vegetables (up 32.4%), margarine (up 26.7%), concentrated or sweetened milk and cream (up 20.8%), sugar confectionary excluding cocoa ingredients (up 19.8%), miscellaneous preserved or prepared meat (up 19.4%), dried shelled vegetables (up 17.1%), bread, biscuits, cakes and pastries (up 16.2%), miscellaneous prepared or preserved non-frozen vegetables (up 16.1%), soups and broths (up 10.8%), then frozen beef (up 10.4%).
Fifteen among the 22 listed food imports posted increases compared to 2021.
The top declining El Salvadoran food import was wheat, dragged down by a -29.4% drop.
See also El Salvador’s Top 10 Exports, Sugar Exports by Country, Honduras Top 10 Exports and Nicaragua’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Country Profiles. Accessed on December 7, 2023
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on December 7, 2023
Wikipedia, El Salvador. Accessed on December 7, 2023