What is the capital of El Salvador?
San Salvador lies in the Salvadoran highlands at about 658 metres above sea level, ringed by volcanoes.
San Salvador is the capital and seat of government of El Salvador. El Salvador itself has an estimated population of 6,365,503 (2025).
San Salvador is also the largest city in El Salvador, which is the usual arrangement, though it is far from universal: see the countries where capital and largest city differ.
San Salvador at a glance
| City population | 525,990 (2024, municipality) |
|---|---|
| Country | 🇸🇻 El Salvador |
| Founded | 1525 |
| Largest city in El Salvador | San Salvador |
| Time zone | UTC−06:00 (CST) |
| Currency | United States dollar (USD) |
About San Salvador
The city was founded in 1525 by the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado.
San Salvador is El Salvador's political, cultural, educational and financial centre, and holds the Legislative Assembly, the Supreme Court and the official residence of the president.
The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, made up of the capital and 13 neighbouring municipalities, is home to about 2.4 million people.
City facts sourced from Wikipedia: San Salvador.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of El Salvador?
Is San Salvador the largest city in El Salvador?
What is the population of San Salvador?
Where is San Salvador located?
What time zone is San Salvador in?
What currency is used in San Salvador?
Capitals of neighbouring countries
See the full profile of El Salvador on its country page, or browse every capital city.
Capital and country data from open datasets; city and metropolitan populations are hand-curated per city and cited where they are shown. Populations of countries come from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL). Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.