Crisis overview and projections
Humanitarian needs in El Salvador are the result of extreme weather events, increasing food insecurity and the impacts of high levels of human mobility, all compounded by rising living costs and inflation due to global economic trends.
WFP's June 2023 National Food Security Survey estimates that 17 per cent of the population (1,044,895 people) is moderately or severely food-insecure due to multiple economic and climate-related factors, primarily associated with the current drought and El Niño which is expected to continue through early 2024. The El Niño phenomenon is exacerbating inequality in access to basic services and increasing food insecurity and rates of child malnutrition. The risks of diseases may also increase due to lack of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.
El Salvador is both an origin and transit location for human mobility. From October 2022 to September 2023, more than 62,800 Salvadoreans were intercepted at the United States southern border. In 2022 there were 14,437 returnees representing a 70 per cent increase compared to 2021. Returnees face humanitarian needs, such as protection and access to basic services, and may overwhelm host communities who lack capacities.
Incidents of violence have been decreasing nationally in the last couple of years allowing increased access to communities that were formerly under the control of gangs. These communities require an expansion of protection services to address accumulated unmet needs and limited coping and development capacity.
At least 596,500 women and 343,800 children are in need of humanitarian assistance due to the compounding effects of food insecurity, limited livelihoods, and gender-based violence.
Response priorities in 2024
In 2024, the humanitarian community aims to assist 506,214 of the most vulnerable people (around 45 per cent of people in need), requiring US$87 million for the response. The number of people in need for 2024 increased slightly from 2023 due to El Niño-induced drought conditions and the need for protection services in communities that were previously inaccessible.
The HRP is based on collectively identified shocks that drive humanitarian needs: migration flows and El Niño conditions. The activities will provide an intersectoral response to these shocks and their humanitarian consequences, with a focus on people facing food insecurity and people in communities that were previously inaccessible. Response activities are designed to complement the country’s ongoing development projects and government efforts.