San Salvador El Salvador. A socioeconomic report created by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reveals that 17 out of the 44 new Salvadoran municipalities have a monetary poverty rate exceeding 30%.
The UNDP report, titled Socioeconomic Map: Guide for the new 44 municipalities of El Salvador, is the first statistical approximation of the new territorial distribution. As of May 1, 2024, the distribution of municipalities changed from 262 to 44.
SEE ALSO: Analyzing Poverty in El Salvador: An Insight Into El Salvador’s Poverty Rate!
The municipalities with the highest monetary poverty rate are Usulutan North and Ahuachapan South. These two municipalities have an over 40% rate.
The Usulutan North municipality has the highest monetary poverty rate at 49.1%. This municipality consists of nine districts: Santiago de María, Alegría, Berlín, Mercedes Umaña, Jucuapa, El Triunfo, Estanzuelas, San Buenaventura, and Nueva Granada.
Ahuachapan South with a 43.8% monetary poverty rate is in second place. This municipality has four districts: Guaymango, Jujutla, San Francisco Menéndez, and San Pedro Puxtla.
Nationally, 25.1% of households experience multidimensional poverty, while 27.2% face monetary poverty.
| Municipality | Monetary | Multidimensional | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Usulutan North | 49.1 | 38.3 |
| 2 | Ahuachapan South | 43.8 | 50.2 |
| 3 | Morazan North | 38.6 | 46.7 |
| 4 | Ahuachapan North | 36.4 | 21.1 |
| 5 | Cuscatlan North | 36.0 | 28.7 |
| 6 | San Miguel North | 34.8 | 36.2 |
| 7 | Cabañas East | 34.1 | 25.7 |
| 8 | Usulutan West | 33.4 | 42.5 |
| 9 | Cabañas West | 33.3 | 25.5 |
| 10 | Chalatenango South | 33.0 | 19.9 |
| 11 | San Miguel West | 32.7 | 35.8 |
| 12 | Santa Ana West | 32.2 | 19.9 |
| 13 | Morazan South | 31.1 | 31.4 |
| 14 | Ahuachapan Center | 30.5 | 39.8 |
| 15 | La Union North | 30.4 | 33.9 |
| 16 | San Vicente South | 30.4 | 23.4 |
| 17 | Sonsonate Center | 30.3 | 23.5 |
Monetary poverty applies to households whose income is less than the cost of the extended basic food basket, which is twice the cost of the Salvadoran basic food basket. In July 2024, the basic food basket in urban areas was $264.92 and in rural areas $180.34.
Multidimensional poverty evaluates household well-being through indicators in five key areas: Education; housing conditions; work and social security; health, basic services, and food security; and quality of the environment, which includes public safety.
The municipalities with the lowest monetary poverty rates are Chalatenango North at 13.4%, San Salvador Center at 19.7%, and San Salvador East at 20.1%.
