The Population Census revealed that only 11.2 percent of Salvadorans still have basic cell phones, while most of them we make a smartphone.
Close to the 80 % of the population of Salvadoran over three years of age use the Internet While 77.5 per cent own a smartphone (smartphone), data from the 7th Population Census and VI Housing Census 2024 revealed.
Preliminary results, presented by the Central Reserve Bank (BCR), indicate that a little more 4.49 million Salvadorans use the internetequivalent to 79.8 per cent of the more than 5.6 million people using information and communication technologies.
The use of the Internet in El Salvador is quite high, close to 80 percent of the population in most departments, said Douglas Rodriguez, president of the BCR, who emphasized that all population groups make use of this tool, although it is more notorious among people aged 15 to 34.
San Salvador is the department with the highest coverage, at 85.6 percentWhich reflects urbanization and access to digital technology. Secondly, there is La Libertad, where 82.6 % of its inhabitants use the Internet, followed by Santa Ana, with 81.1 %.
Ahuachapán has the lowest coverage, where 70.6 percent of its population uses this tool, while Morazán has the second lowest rate, of 71 %.
This high rate of Internet use suggests that there is a very significant advance in the accessibility of information and communication, said the president of the BCR.
Smart phones
The percentage of the population using the internet is very close to the 77.5 % of Salvadorans who own a smartphoneequivalent to more than 4.3 million people.
Phones are the fifth most imported product by Salvadorans, only surpassed by fuels, petroleum gas, medicines and vehicles. The BCR’s latest foreign trade report indicates that purchases of these devices exceeded $273.9 million between January and July 2024.
Salvadorans living in San Salvadorans are the ones with smartphones the most, with coverage of 83.8 percent, while Ahuachapán has the lowest percentage, at 69.3 percent.
According to the census, 11.2 per cent of Salvadorans still have a basic cell phone, which includes 630,129 citizens. The inhabitants of the departments of La Unión, San Salvador and Usulután are the ones who use this device the most, with 13.4%, 12.7 % and 8.4 %, respectively.
The use of smartphones underlines the importance of mobile technology in the lives of Salvadorans, facilitating access to information, communication and digital services, Rodriguez said.
According to the census, 16.20 per cent of Salvadorans use a computer and 26.9 per cent have a laptop. In addition, 18.8 % has a tablet.
This article has been translated after first appearing in Diario El Mundo