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El Salvador
Population (2009 est.)7,185,218
Religious DemographicsRoman Catholic 57.1%, Protestant 21.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.9%, Mormon 0.7%, other religions 2.3%, none 16.8% (2003 est.)
Ethnic Groupsmestizo 90%, white 9%, Amerindian 1%
LanguagesSpanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)

The country has an area of 8,108 square miles. According to the 2007 census, the population is 5.7 million. The country is predominantly Roman Catholic, with a sizeable Protestant minority. There are also small communities of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Jehovah's Witnesses, Hare Krishnas, Muslims, Jews, and Buddhists, among others. A very small segment of the population observes indigenous religious practices. Some Catholic rituals incorporate indigenous elements.

According to a December 2008 survey by the Public Opinion Center of the Technological University of El Salvador, 52.6 percent of the population identifies itself as Catholic. There are several different Catholic groups, including a charismatic renewal group that reportedly constitutes more than 6 percent of all Catholics. Members of Protestant churches compose 27.9 percent of the population. Among Protestants, informal church estimates suggest 35 percent are Baptists or members of Assemblies of God.

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