Relationship dossier
El Salvador
United States
Relationship assessment
Substantial economic and security ties coexist with recurring political friction
El Salvador toward United States
+20El Salvador participates with the United States in the Dominican Republic–Central America–United States Free Trade Agreement and has cooperated with the U.S. government on migration and security matters. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has also publicly criticized U.S. positions and policies, contributing to political friction.
United States toward El Salvador
+20The United States has maintained trade, development, migration, and security cooperation with El Salvador, including through the Dominican Republic–Central America–United States Free Trade Agreement. It has also imposed visa restrictions on Salvadoran officials amid concerns about democratic governance, creating tensions with the Bukele government.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship has a durable foundation in trade, migration, and security cooperation, while U.S. concerns about democratic governance and Salvadoran criticism of U.S. policy have produced recurring political friction. Neither the cooperative ties nor the disagreements define the relationship alone.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
El Salvador and the United States maintain substantial economic, migration, and security ties, including cooperation under the Dominican Republic–Central America–United States Free Trade Agreement. Relations have also faced friction over democratic governance and U.S. restrictions targeting Salvadoran officials. Cooperation and disagreements have persisted alongside one another.
Areas of tension
- U.S. concerns about democratic governance and checks on executive power in El Salvador
- U.S. visa restrictions targeting Salvadoran officials
- Public criticism of U.S. policy by the Salvadoran government
Key developments
The Dominican Republic–Central America–United States Free Trade Agreement entered into force for El Salvador and the United States.
The United States announced visa restrictions on Salvadoran officials amid concerns about actions affecting democratic institutions.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of security and migration cooperation vary over time.
- The durability of recent political disagreements and their effect on bilateral cooperation remain unclear.