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El Salvador is expanding its presence in international markets with an exportable offering that combines goods and services, incorporates new products, and reaches new destinations.
In 2025, goods exports reached US$6,428.5 million, a 1.9% increase, while services exports totaled US$6,213.5 million, a 4.4% increase. Overall, the country exported approximately US$12,642 million and positioned itself as the third largest exporter of services in Central America.
For the President of COEXPORT, Silvia Cuéllar, these results reflect the evolution of El Salvador’s export offering. “El Salvador no longer exports only products; it also exports talent, knowledge, and service capacity, and that opens doors for us in markets we couldn’t reach before”, she said.
More products reach new markets
During 2025, 204 salvadoran products reached 60 economies across five continents for the first time. Machinery and equipment led this expansion with 27 products, followed by chemicals with 26, common metals with 25, and textiles with 17.
The new destinations include markets in Latin America, North America, Europe, and Asia, reflecting greater diversification of export offerings.
Services expand export offerings
El Salvador has also consolidated its services offerings, which include tourism, transportation, business services, maintenance and repair, manufacturing using third-party inputs, telecommunications, and information technology.
In 2025, travel accounted for US$3,685.3 million of service exports; transportation, US$612.8 million; and telecommunications, information technology, and communications, US$455.3 million.
The trend continues in 2026. During the first quarter, El Salvador exported US$1.526 billion in services. Travel contributed US$884.4 million; transportation, US$144.2 million; telecommunications, computer science, and information technology, US$131.8 million; manufacturing of physical inputs belonging to others, US$118.1 million; and maintenance and repairs, US$105.4 million.
“Seeing that the first quarter of 2026 is repeating the same growth pattern we had in 2025 gives us a lot of confidence: it’s not an isolated result, it’s a trend that salvadoran companies are building through constant work”, Cuéllar said.
Goods maintain growth in 2026
During the first half of 2026, goods exports reached US$3.4006 billion, a 4.1% increase compared to the same period in 2025. The volume exported increased by 10.3%.
Among the best-performing products were coffee, with US$146.9 million and a 25.9% increase, and sugar, with US$145.9 million and a 20.2% increase.
The United States remains the top destination, with US$1.106 billion in purchases of salvadoran goods during the first half of the year, a 5.1% increase. Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua continue to be among the main markets.
The results show an increasingly broad export offering, which includes everything from food, textiles, pharmaceuticals, plastics, and metal products to software, business services, specialized maintenance, and digital services.
“This is the time to continue investing in diversification, both in products and in markets and services. El Salvador has what it takes to compete abroad”, Cuéllar concluded.
The challenge is to consolidate this expansion, incorporate more companies into export activity, and broaden the presence of salvadoran products in new markets.
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