El Salvador's cities at a glance
Dots sized by population · San Salvador in orange
El Salvador has 7 with more than 100,000 (city-proper figures). The largest is San Salvador with 525,990 people, followed by Soyapango (329,708) and San Miguel (247,126). The three largest cities together hold about 17.2% of the country's 6.4 million people.
The capital, San Salvador, is also the largest city.
By region, the most large cities are in San Salvador Department (10), Santa Ana Department (3), La Libertad Department (3).
Country-level figures — live population, births and deaths, growth, density and history — are on the El Salvador population page; provinces, terrain, rivers and society maps are in the El Salvador atlas.
El Salvador cities by population
| # | City | Region | Population | Share of El Salvador |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San SalvadorCapital | San Salvador Department | 525,990 | 8.2% |
| 2 | Soyapango | San Salvador Department | 329,708 | 5.2% |
| 3 | San Miguel | San Miguel Department | 247,126 | 3.9% |
| 4 | Santa Ana | Santa Ana Department | 176,661 | 2.8% |
| 5 | Mejicanos | San Salvador Department | 160,317 | 2.5% |
| 6 | Santa Tecla | La Libertad Department | 124,694 | 1.9% |
| 7 | Apopa | San Salvador Department | 112,158 | 1.8% |
| 8 | Delgado | San Salvador Department | 71,594 | 1.1% |
| 9 | Sonsonate | Sonsonate Department | 59,468 | 0.9% |
| 10 | San Marcos | San Salvador Department | 54,615 | 0.9% |
| 11 | Usulután | Usulutan | 51,910 | 0.8% |
| 12 | Cojutepeque | Cuscatlan | 48,411 | 0.8% |
| 13 | Cuscatancingo | San Salvador Department | 44,369 | 0.7% |
| 14 | San Vicente | San Vicente Department | 41,504 | 0.6% |
| 15 | Zacatecoluca | La Paz Department | 39,613 | 0.6% |
| 16 | San Martín | Cuscatlan | 39,361 | 0.6% |
| 17 | Ilopango | San Salvador Department | 38,890 | 0.6% |
| 18 | Ahuachapán | Ahuachapan | 34,102 | 0.5% |
| 19 | Antiguo Cuscatlán | La Libertad Department | 33,767 | 0.5% |
| 20 | Chalchuapa | Santa Ana Department | 32,282 | 0.5% |
| 21 | Quezaltepeque | La Libertad Department | 28,886 | 0.5% |
| 22 | La Unión | La Union | 26,807 | 0.4% |
| 23 | Ayutuxtepeque | San Salvador Department | 25,426 | 0.4% |
| 24 | Acajutla | Sonsonate Department | 22,763 | 0.4% |
| 25 | Aguilares | San Salvador Department | 21,445 | 0.3% |
| 26 | Sensuntepeque | Cabanas | 20,386 | 0.3% |
| 27 | Chalatenango | Chalatenango Department | 19,364 | 0.3% |
| 28 | Izalco | Sonsonate Department | 19,197 | 0.3% |
| 29 | Metapán | Santa Ana Department | 19,143 | 0.3% |
| 30 | San Rafael Oriente | San Miguel Department | 19,095 | 0.3% |
Cities with 300,000 or more people link to their own page. The list keeps every city of 100,000+ and at least the 30 largest places of the country.
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest city in El Salvador?
San Salvador, with about 525,990 inhabitants (city proper).
What is the capital of El Salvador?
San Salvador — population 525,990, the largest city in the country.
How many cities in El Salvador have over one million people?
None — the largest, San Salvador, has 525,990 people.
Are these metropolitan-area populations?
No. They are city-proper figures (the administrative city) from GeoNames, based on the latest census or official estimate. Metropolitan areas, which include suburbs and satellite towns, are larger — often several times larger for the biggest cities.
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CubaCite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Largest Cities in El Salvador 2026: Population Ranking. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/el-salvador/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/el-salvador/">Largest Cities in El Salvador 2026: Population Ranking</a> — GlostatsFigures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.
City populations are GeoNames figures (CC BY 4.0): the latest official census or estimate for the city proper — the municipality, not the wider metropolitan area — so they can differ from "metro area" numbers you see elsewhere. Country populations are live Glostats estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Page generated 2026-10-20. More about our data.