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An El Slavador sign at San Salvador airport
Image: Danita Delimont/IMAGOImage: Danita Delimont/IMAGO

El Salvador

El Salvador is a small country in Central America. It suffered a civil war from 1979-1992. Attempts to diservify its economy from mining and coffee included 2022 legislation to make Bitcoin legal tender in the country.

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All Content on this topic

View of a tree that fell during heavy rains and blocked part of a road in Sonsonate, El Salvador

Central America: Torrential rains kill several people

Heavy rains have prompted flooding and landslides in countries like El Salvador and Guatemala, killing several people.
ClimateJune 18, 2024
Demonstrators holding up placards rally in support of abortion rights at the US Supreme Court in Washington DC (2023 file photo)

Abortion rights increase globally — with exceptions

DW takes a look at some of the countries where women have restricted access to abortion.
Law and JusticeMarch 8, 202402:19 min
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele greets supporters next to his wife Gabriela Rodriguez after the presidential and legislative elections in San Salvador on February 4, 2024

El Salvador: Bukele confirmed as president after final count

Nayib Bukele's decision to jail 77,000 criminal gang members is widely credited with helping him secure a second term.
PoliticsFebruary 10, 2024
A woman shows a ballot during the counting of votes for the presidential and legislative elections at a polling station in San Salvador

El Salvador votes must be recounted, says electoral court

Incumbent Nayib Bukele claimed victory in Sunday's presidential election, but the electoral court wants a recount.
PoliticsFebruary 6, 2024
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele addresses more than 14,000 troops

El Salvador: 'Bitcoin President' claims big election win

President Nayib Bukele declared himself the winner saying he won "more than 85 percent of votes."
PoliticsFebruary 5, 2024
DW Dokumentationen | Bitcoineros

Bitcoin in Latin America - A digital gold rush begins

European conquistadors once came to Latin America to rob the indigenous population of its gold.
Digital WorldJanuary 16, 202442:35 min
El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele speaks at an event

El Salvador: Bukele granted leave to campaign for reelection

El Salvador's Congress has allowed President Nayib Bukele to take a leave of absence to launch a reelection campaign.
PoliticsDecember 1, 2023
A Venezuelan migrant holding a sign asking for money to continue his journey to the United States in San Jose, Costa Rica

Costa Rica plans state of emergency amid 'migration crisis'

The president has ordered officials to declare a state of emergency and "take a firm stance."
MigrationSeptember 27, 2023
Pacific coast of Nicaragua

Earthquake rocks Central America

The quake, initially measured at 6.5 magnitude, struck Nicaragua, Guatemala and other countries on the Pacific coast.
CatastropheJuly 19, 2023
Mauricio Funes speaks at the National Assembly in 2012.

El Salvador sentences former president to 6 years in jail

Mauricio Funes was convicted of tax evasion. He currently resides in Nicaragua, where he is also a citzen.
Law and JusticeJuly 6, 2023
Fans gather on the pitch after the stampede at the Cuscatian Stadium in San Salvador on May 20, 2023

El Salvador soccer stadium stampede leaves 12 dead

Local media reported that too many tickets were sold for the match at the Cuscatlan Stadium in the capital San Salvador.
CatastropheMay 21, 2023
DW's Freedom of Speech Award is a glass cube mounted on a wooden base

Oscar Martinez: 'Journalism is indispensable'

DW has awarded the Freedom of Speech Award 2023 to Central American investigative journalist Oscar Martinez.
Freedom of SpeechMay 3, 2023
Oscar Martinez photographed, with a book case in the background

DW Freedom of Speech Award 2023 goes to Oscar Martinez

The journalist from El Salvador becomes the ninth laureate for his work promoting press freedom in Central America.
MediaMay 3, 2023
A protester holds a cut-out figure of the map of El Salvador with bars representing prison bars

Fighting for justice in Iran and El Salvador

Arbitrary arrests in the name of a so-called anti-gang war and to silence voices protesting for human rights.
Human RightsFebruary 15, 202329:59 min
Protestors hold placards against the Bitcoin law during a protest the government of Nayib Bukele and his policies

IMF warns El Salvador of Bitcoin 'risks'

The Central American country became the first worldwide to adopt Bitcoin as a legal currency in 2021.
BusinessFebruary 11, 2023
An armed soldiers stands in front of a military vehicle at a checkpoint in Soyapango, El Salvador

El Salvador launches anti-drug clampdown on Christmas Eve

Security forces in El Salvador surrounded the Tutunichapa district of the capital as part of an anti-crime campaign.
CrimeDecember 24, 2022
A soldier takes part in an operation in search of gang members, in Soyapango, El Salvador

El Salvador seals off area in capital to combat gangs

President Nayib Bukele said "8,500 soldiers and 1,500 agents have surrounded" the municipality of Soyapango.
PoliticsDecember 3, 2022
In a large warehouse, a woman stands at a lectern on the left and a man at a lectern on the right; both people are flanked by the flags of China and El Salvador

El Salvador takes risks for Chinese investments

Free trade with China could give El Salvador some relief. But some fear it puts the country's sovereignty up for sale.
BusinessNovember 19, 2022
A man carries an empty water tank through a flooded area after the impact of the tropical storm Julia

Central America hit by Tropical Storm Julia, dozens killed

The weakening storm drenched Guatemala and El Salvador with torrential rains, pummeling Nicaragua on its path.
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 11, 2022
President Joe Biden, center, speaks beside Ecuador President Guillermo Lasso, center left, and Colombian President Iván Duque, center right, during a meeting on migration at the Summit of the Americas, Friday, June 10, 2022, in Los Angeles.

US: Biden signs migration pact with Latin American leaders

In a bid to reassert US influence in Latin America, Biden signed a pact to regulate migration and offer more assistance.
PoliticsJune 11, 2022
Police officers from a tactical unit patrol the city of San Salvador during a security operation

El Salvador: MS-13 blames killing spree on broken pact

The violent gang MS-13 has backed up claims of a yearslong pact with the government according to Salvadoran media.
ConflictsMay 18, 2022
Women march with a pro-choice banner in San Salvador. : © Camilo Freedman/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire

El Salvador jails woman accused of abortion for 30 years

Abortions are banned in El Salvador, and several women have been sentenced for apparent miscarriages.
Rule of LawMay 11, 2022
Bitcoin symbol on a coin

Bitcoin boom spikes amid perceived risks

Central African Republic has made Bitcoin legal tender. Experts warn that nations that adopt cryptos risk instability.
BusinessMay 5, 2022
A tatooed gang member on the ground

Why El Salvador's murder rate has surged

President Nayib Bukele has imposed a state of emergency, as critics warn that authoritarianism could be on the rise.
SocietyMarch 30, 2022
Heavily armed police officers on the streets of San Salvador

El Salvador: State of emergency over gang killings

The small Central American country is imposing measures to crack down on violent street gangs.
CrimeMarch 28, 2022
President of the Salvadoran Nationalist Republican Alliance (Arena) party, Alfredo Cristiani (C) speaks at Arena headquarters in San Salvador, El Salvador, 11 March 2012.

El Salvador ex-president charged over priest killings

Former President Alfredo Cristiani has been charged in a case that has been pursued by prosecutors for years.
PoliticsFebruary 26, 2022
Elsy poses for a picture after being released from jail

El Salvador frees woman jailed after miscarriage

Elsy is one of dozens of women punished under El Salvador's harsh anti-abortion laws.
Human RightsFebruary 10, 2022
Protesters hold placards against the Bitcoin law during a protest in El Salvador

IMF urges El Salvador to drop Bitcoin

The IMF cites the risks to national financial stability, consumer protection and the ability to receive loans.
BusinessJanuary 26, 2022
A phone with the NSO Group website open

El Salvador journalists hacked with Pegasus spyware: report

An internet watchdog said a Pegasus operator was working almost exclusively in El Salvador in early 2020.
CrimeJanuary 13, 2022
A picture taken in November 1989 shows the funeral of six Jesuit priests at the University Jose Simeon Canas (UCA) in El Salvador in November 1989

El Salvador reopens probe into 1989 killing of 6 priests

Judges have ruled in favor of proceeding with an investigation into the massacre during the country's civil war.
Law and JusticeJanuary 6, 2022
A bitcoin symbol is presented on an LED screen during the closing ceremony of a congress for cryptocurrency investors in Santa Maria Mizata, El Salvador, Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021

El Salvador pushes ahead with cryptoplan

After making Bitcoin legal tender in his country, Nayib Bukele aims to use a $1 billion bond sale to turn the fortunes.
BusinessDecember 13, 2021
Withered trees on a sandy beach, behind this line a green mangrove forest in El Salvador

El Salvador fights for a sustainable future

Poverty and climate crisis burden El Salvador. The organization CESTA is fighting for a sustainable future.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 1, 2021
El Salvador Bitcoin Beach El Zonte

El Salvador: Bitcoin 'attracting investment'

El Salvador's policy to legalize Bitcoin as legal tender is working surprisingly well.
BusinessNovember 24, 202103:45 min
A police officer and soldier tape off a crime scene in El Salvador

El Salvador: President deploys troops after murder spike

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said "dark forces" are behind a rise in homicides in the capital, San Salvador.
CrimeNovember 12, 2021
People march during a protest against President Nayib Bukele in San Salvador

El Salvador: Thousands march against Bukele

Demonstrators in the capital San Salvador took to the streets against what they say is increasing authoritarianism.
PoliticsOctober 18, 2021
El Salvador Einführung Bitcoin

Bitcoin making inroads in El Salvador

Figures show that a quarter of El Salvadorians are signed up for the official Bitcoin digital wallet.
BusinessOctober 8, 202102:00 min
US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on a vaccination update from the State Dining Room at The White House

US government contractors 'must be vaccinated by December 8'

The Biden administration will add clauses to future government contracts mandating inoculations for federal contractors.
HealthSeptember 25, 2021
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Bitcoin is now legal tender in El Salvador

The government says the move will give many residents access to bank services and save millions in fees on remittances.
BusinessSeptember 8, 202102:07 min
People take part in a protest against the use of Bitcoin as legal tender

El Salvador's Bitcoin adoption met with suspicion

As El Salvador becomes the first country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender, the public remains skeptical.
BusinessSeptember 8, 2021
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele delivers a press conference at a hotel in the country's capital San Salvador.

US slams El Salvador's presidential reelection decision

A high court order that would allow El Salvador President Nayib Bukele to run for a second term sparked an outcry.
PoliticsSeptember 5, 2021
Former El Salvador President Sanchez Ceren

El Salvador orders arrest of ex-president Sanchez Ceren

Former President Salvador Sanchez Ceren, and nine other former officials, have been accused of money laundering.
CrimeJuly 23, 2021
A shopowner in El Salvador holding a phone displaying Bitcoin price changes

El Salvador approves Bitcoin as legal tender

El Salvador has become the first nation to officially adopt a cryptocurrency.
SocietyJune 9, 2021
A picture of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele delivering a press conference in 2021, ahead of parliamentary elections.

Why El Salvador wants to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender

El Salvador plans to recognize Bitcoin as legal tender, becoming the first nation in the world to do so.
BusinessJune 7, 2021
a picture of Bitcoin

El Salvador plans to make Bitcoin legal tender

If the bill is passed, the country will become the first in the world to legally accept the cryptocurrency.
BusinessJune 6, 2021
Former President of El Salvador Tony Saca and his wife, Ana Ligia de Saca in 2009. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills, File)

El Salvador's former first lady sentenced to prison

Ana Ligia de Saca's husband, former President Tony Saca, is already serving a 10-year sentence.
Law and JusticeJune 5, 2021
President Nayib Bukele delivers a press conference while wearing a cap backwards

El Salvador lawmakers sack top prosecutor, judges

Rivals of populist leader Nayib Bukele decried a "coup" as El Salvador's attorney general was ousted.
PoliticsMay 3, 2021
Nayib Bukele

Bukele set for majority in El Salvador midterms

Opinion polls suggest President Nayib Bukele could win enough seats to hold at least a simple majority in Congress.
PoliticsFebruary 28, 2021
El Salvador, FMLN party truck

OAS condemns El Salvador shooting of FMLN supporters

Widespread condemnation has ensued after the shooting of supporters of opposition party FMLN resulted in two fatalities.
CrimeFebruary 2, 2021
Gang members in an El Salvador prison

Raids target Central American gang members

More than 700 people were arrested on charges including terrorism, murder, kidnapping and extortion.
CrimeNovember 28, 2020
Philippinen Manila Gefängnis Symbolbild

El Salvador frees woman jailed over miscarriage

The 29-year-old woman had served six years out of a 10-year sentence for 'aggravated homicide.'
Law and JusticeSeptember 24, 2020