Is El Salvador safe in 2026?
El Salvador scores 74.6/100 on the live safety index — generally safe. The main pressure on the score comes from crime, political instability, natural disasters. The 24-hour AI forecast calls the trend stable (projected 74.6/100).
74.6 /100generally safe
30-day trend
El Salvador's score fell by −2.9 over the last 30 days (77.5 → 74.6).
Threat breakdown
| Category | Pressure | Score / cap |
|---|---|---|
| Crime | 7.1 / 15 | |
| Political instability | 6.7 / 15 | |
| Natural disasters | 1.8 / 5 | |
| Military conflict | 7.1 / 30 | |
| Economy | 1.8 / 8 | |
| Internet freedom | 0.6 / 7 | |
| Public health | 0.2 / 3 | |
| Ecology | 0.1 / 1 | |
| Sanctions | 0.1 / 4 | |
| Nuclear risk | 0.0 / 12 |
Higher category scores mean more threat pressure; each category is capped by its weight in the 0–100 index. How scores are computed.
Official travel advisory
1 Exercise Normal Precautions
The U.S. State Department places El Salvador at Level 1 — Exercise Normal Precautions. Our live index reads 74.6/100. That advisory was last revised Jun 25, 2026, 68 days ago; the index above is recomputed continuously from current reporting.
Source: U.S. Department of State, revised Jun 25, 2026. Levels run 1 (normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel). This page is not travel advice.
Latest recorded events
- El Salvador, Panama and Honduras declare emergencies over drought impacts linked to El Niño
- El Salvador extends state of exception again while NGOs report rising death toll in mega-prisons
- Strong 5.5 magnitude earthquake in El Salvador | Earthquake reported Wednesday night, August 12: epicenter, depth, and details
- El Salvador sentences gang members to 1,000 years in prison
- El Salvador opposition pitch former lawmaker, doctor to run against Bukele in 2027
- Pacific Ocean earthquake is felt from Mexico to El Salvador - A powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the Mexico-Guatemala coast in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, being felt as far as El Salvador.
24-hour forecast
Trend: stable · projected score 74.6/100 (generated )
Drought and political concerns remain active, while recent safety momentum is broadly flat.
Compared with nearby countries
| Country | Score | 0–100 | vs El Salvador |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Salvador | 74.6 | — | |
| Guatemala | 78.0 | +3.4 | |
| Honduras | 72.1 | −2.5 | |
| Belize | 83.8 | +9.2 | |
| Nicaragua | 69.0 | −5.6 | |
| Costa Rica | 90.3 | +15.7 |