President Nayib Bukele.
President Nayib Bukele’s approval rating has been over 75% since he became president; his approval is the highest any Salvadoran president has sustained during a presidential term. Bukele is the world leader with the highest domestic support.
Nayib Bukele’s popularity continues entering 2024. His dynamic leadership, emphasis on improving security, and innovative approach to governance have resonated with the people, making him a beloved figure at home and abroad.
Despite accusations of authoritarianism and human rights violations, President Nayib Bukele has maintained an approval rating of over 75% during his entire presidency, the highest ever for a Salvadoran president.
| Date | Entity | Rating/Score |
|---|---|---|
| January 17, 2024 | FundaUngo 2023 Job Approval |
91.2% Approval View Survey |
| January 10, 2024 | Iudop-UCA 2023 Job Approval |
8.54 out of 10 View Survey |
You can view all 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 surveys at the bottom of this page (Click Here).
How popular is Nayib Bukele? Despite negative perceptions and condemnations from outside El Salvador, Nayib Bukele is one of the most popular presidents in Salvadoran history; domestically, Nayib Bukele’s Approval Rating has never gone below 75 percent during his entire presidential term.
Why is Nayib Bukele so popular?
President Nayib Bukele is popular in El Salvador due to the improved security the country has achieved since he took office; President Bukele has turned a country known for high levels of violence into one of the safest in Latin America.
Human rights organizations and the opposition call Nayib Bukele an authoritarian president who is destroying democracy in El Salvador. Nevertheless, they can’t argue against the fact that El Salvador’s security has drastically improved under the Bukele administration.
A clear example of this improved security is the decline in the country’s homicide rate. When Bukele took office in June 2019, El Salvador’s homicide rate was 6.57 murders per day or 35.8 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.
By 2023, the country’s homicide rate has been lowered to 0.42 per day or 2.4 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. 2023 is considered the safest year in Salvadoran history.
Even though the US Government and El Faro online newspaper claim that the reduction in homicides is due to a secret negotiation between the Bukele administration and gangs, Nayib Bukele’s popularity remains high.
Over the last 30 years, Salvadorans have known that violence was a part of the country’s daily life; however, under Bukele, that perception has changed.
Without a doubt, El Salvador’s president’s approval rating and popularity remain at high levels because he has improved the country’s security.
Can Bukele continue to maintain this high approval rating?
Yes, President Bukele can maintain his high approval ratings! An awful political opposition, the population’s resentment towards traditional political parties, and an excellent marketing machine by Nayib Bukele are some reasons why it could happen.
To begin with, Nayib Bukele does not have a political opposition. Bukele destroyed 30 years of two-party dominance by the traditional political parties FMLN and ARENA. The opposition hasn’t recovered, and they do not have a charismatic leader who can compete against President Bukele.
SEE ALSO: Can Salvadoran political parties ARENA and FMLN recover political ground
Then there is the resentment Salvadorans feel towards the traditional political parties and their administrations that, for over 20 years, were not able to control the country’s violence. Furthermore, members of the traditional political parties stole millions of dollars from public funds.
Lastly, there is the Bukele marketing machine. The president has an excellent marketing system that controls the narrative and continues to make his administration look good to Salvadorans.
If we add the low credibility that the traditional media outlets have with most Salvadorans to an awful opposition resented by most Salvadorans. So why wouldn’t President Nayib Bukele continue with high approval ratings?
Nayib Bukele’s Approval Rating
What interests Salvadorans is to feel safe and to have security. This is something Nayib Bukele has delivered, so for the time being, they will continue to support Nayib Bukele and give it a high approval rating.
In conclusion, Nayib Bukele’s consistently high approval ratings reflect his ability to connect with the people of El Salvador. While opinions may vary, his leadership style and policies have resonated with a significant portion of the population, making him the prominent figure in Salvadoran politics.
All of Nayib Bukele Approval Rating Surveys
| Date | Entity | Rating/Score |
|---|---|---|
| November 17, 2023 | CID Gallup Job as president |
92% Approval View Survey |
| October24, 2023 | CID Gallup Latin America Presidential Approval |
88% Approval View Survey |
| June 29, 2023 | FUNDAUNGO Bukele’s 4 years in office |
90.9% Approval View Survey |
| June 26, 2023 | UCA Bukele’s 4 years in office |
94.3% Approval View Survey |
| June 26, 2023 | MITOFSKY World Leaders Approval |
93% Approval View Survey |
| June 20, 2023 | CID Gallup Bukele’s Job Approval |
90% Approval View Survey |
| June 20, 2023 | TResearch Bukele’s 4 years in office |
92.9% Approval View Survey |
| June 6, 2023 | UFG Bukele’s 4 years in office |
8.58 out of 10 View Survey |
| March 13, 2023 | LPG Datos Bukele’s Job Approval |
91% Approval View Survey |
| January 2, 2023 | CID Gallup Job as President |
90% Approval View Survey |
| January 19, 2023 | UCA 2022 job approval |
8.37 out of 10. View Survey |
| Date | Entity | Rating/Score |
|---|---|---|
| December 12th, 2022 | LPG Datos Bukele’s Job Approval |
87.8% Approval View Survey |
| September 26th, 2022 | UFG Bukele’s Job Approval |
8.42 out of 10 View Survey |
| October 18th, 2022 | UCA October survey |
7.84 out of 10. View Survey |
| October 13th, 2022 | CID Gallup Latin American Presidents |
86% Approval View Survey |
| September 30th, 2022 | Fundaungo Job Approval |
89% Approval View Survey |
| September 26th, 2022 | UFG Current Grade |
8.08 out of 10 View Survey |
| July 22nd, 2022 | CID Gallup Latin American Presidents. |
86% Approval View Survey |
| June 1st, 2022 | La Prensa Grafica 3 years in Office |
86.8% Approval View Survey |
| May 25th, 2022 | UFC 3 years in Office |
8.34 Score View Survey |
| March 9th, 2022 | CID Gallup Latin American Presidents. |
85% Approval View Survey |
| January 26th, 2022 | CID Gallup Bukele’s job approval. |
84% Approval View Survey |
| January 14th, 2022 | UCA January survey |
7.54 out of 10. View Survey |
| Date | Entity | Rating/Score |
|---|---|---|
| December 15th, 2021 | LPG Datos 2 1/2 Years in Office |
85.1% Approval View Survey |
| December 13th, 2021 | LPG Datos Managing pandemic |
93.5% Approval View Survey |
| December 1st, 2021 | CID Gallup Managing pandemic |
96% Approval View Survey |
| November 24th, 2021 | Gavidia University 2 1/2 years in office |
7.84 out of 10 View Survey |
| October 28th, 2021 | CID Gallup Managing pandemic |
94% Approval View Survey |
| September 3rd, 2021 | La Prensa Grafica Job Approval |
84.7% Approval View Survey |
| September 2nd, 2021 | UCA August survey |
7.64 out of 10. View Survey |
| August 18th, 2021 | CID Gallup Approval rate |
87% Approval View Survey |
| June 7th, 2021 | Gavidia University Two years in office |
8.79 out of 10 View Survey |
| June 3rd, 2021 | UCA two years’ in-office job performance |
92.1% Approval View Survey |
| June 1st, 2021 | La Prensa Grafica two years’ in-office job performance |
86.5% Approval View Survey |
| March 11th, 2021 | CID Gallup Managing pandemic |
98% Approval View Survey |
| Feb 6th, 2021 | CID Gallup Managing pandemic |
91% Approve View Survey |
| Jan 21st, 2021 | Gavidia University Managing pandemic |
8.87 score View Survey |
| Date | Entity | Rating/Score |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 16th, 2020 | CID Gallup Presiden’t job approval |
89% Approve View Survey |
| Nov 18th, 2020 | CID Gallup Managing pandemic |
96% Approve View Survey |
| Oct 7th, 2020 | CID Gallup Managing pandemic |
92% Approve View Survey |
| Sept 14th, 2020 | Gavidia University Managing pandemic |
8.67 out of 10 View Survey |
| July 23rd, 2020 | UCA. Management of the pandemic. |
7.71 out of 10 View Survey |
| June 29th, 2020 | CID Gallup Managing pandemic |
95% Approve View Survey |
| June 6th, 2020 | CID Gallup Bukele’s job approval. |
93% Approval View Survey |
| May 20th, 2020 | La Prensa Grafica Managing pandemic |
95.7% Approval View Survey |
| April 2020 | CID Gallup Bukele’s job approval. |
93% Approval View Survey |
| March 2020 | CID Gallup Managing pandemic |
96.7% Approval View Survey |
| January 2020 | Gavidia University First 6 months in office. |
8.39 out of 10 View Survey |
