Exports reach $5,093.1 million through September, up 3.7%, according to the central bank
Summary
According to Central Reserve Bank (BCR) data, El Salvador exported $5,093.1 million between January and September 2026, 3.7% more than in the same period of 2025. By volume, exports grew 6.1%. In September alone, exports rose 8.2% compared with the same month last year. These are official BCR figures reported by several outlets.
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President Nayib Bukele met Dan Katz, First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Katz himself announced on X on Tuesday, November 3. Katz called it an "excellent meeting" and wrote: "Unlocking more private investment and harnessing new technologies will be key to building on recent gains & realizing the country's growth potential." Bukele said the conversation turned to the potential impact of artificial intelligence, writing that "our discussion about the economy, the job market, healthcare, education, public spending, and social safety nets ended up being far more interesting than a traditional meeting with the IMF." The meeting comes after the IMF approved the second and third reviews of its program with El Salvador on October 1, which enabled a disbursement of about $138 million, according to Contrapunto and El Diario de Hoy.
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The Salvadoran state's debt to the pension funds reached $11,874.74 million as of September 2026, according to Central Reserve Bank (BCR) data published by Contrapunto and El Diario de Hoy. In September alone it rose by $113.43 million. Both outlets explain that the state finances itself with instruments that the pension fund managers (AFPs) buy with contributing workers' savings. The government is preparing a new pension system reform for 2027 as part of its commitments to the IMF.
Total public debt rises 4.3% to $35,267.92 million as of September, according to BCR data
El Salvador's total public debt rose 4.3% between January and September 2026 compared with the end of 2025, to $35,267.92 million, according to Central Reserve Bank (BCR) data released on Monday and reported by EFE in Diario Libre and ABC Color. That is an increase of $1,459.17 million from $33,808.75 million in December 2025. Of the total, $15,793.97 million is external debt, which grew 3.7% ($569.04 million), and $19,473.95 million is domestic debt, which grew 4.8% ($890.13 million). Of the domestic debt, $11,874.74 million is owed to the private pension funds.
Propane prices for November: the 35-pound cylinder costs $15.50 with the general subsidy
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Fujimori says 14 of 19 chapters of the Peru-El Salvador trade deal are already settled
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