Key Points
— A CID Gallup poll conducted March 15-21 found 94% of Salvadorans approve of President Bukele’s performance — the highest reading since he took office in 2019, surpassing even his pandemic-era peak of 92.5%
— Security and education both scored 95% approval, driven by a crackdown that has arrested over 91,650 people and pushed El Salvador’s homicide rate to 1.3 per 100,000 — one of the lowest in the Western Hemisphere
— The Assembly just extended the state of exception for a 49th consecutive time, with 57 of 58 legislators voting in favor, as human rights organizations continue to raise concerns about due process
Bukele approval reached a record 94 percent in March, according to a CID Gallup poll of 1,200 Salvadoran adults conducted between March 15 and 21. The Rio Times, the Latin American financial news outlet, reports that the figure surpasses even the 92.5 percent average he recorded during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, making him by far the most popular sitting president in Latin America and one of the highest-rated leaders in the world.
Beyond headline approval, 89 percent of respondents said they feel proud of Bukele and 87 percent believe El Salvador is moving in the right direction. Only 5.9 percent expressed disapproval of his administration. The poll carries a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
Security Drives the Bukele Approval Numbers
The security transformation is the primary engine of Bukele’s popularity. El Salvador closed 2025 with a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 inhabitants — one of the lowest in the Western Hemisphere and a dramatic reversal for a country that was once among the most violent on earth. Government officials told the National Assembly that the country has recorded 1,172 days without a homicide during the Bukele presidency.
The state of exception that enables the crackdown has now been extended 49 consecutive times, most recently on March 26 with a 57-1 vote. More than 91,650 people have been arrested since it was first declared in March 2022. Among those who disapprove of Bukele, 25.4 percent said improvements have been limited to security alone, while smaller percentages cited lack of transparency (5.6%) and allegations of arbitrary detentions (2.8%).
Education and the Second-Term Agenda
Education matched security at 95 percent approval, reflecting a government push that includes the distribution of approximately 1.2 million school supply packages — including uniforms, shoes, and technology devices — to public school students in 2026. Infrastructure upgrades to school buildings and expanded educational programs have reinforced the perception that the government is delivering beyond its core security mandate.
The Universidad Centroamericana‘s public opinion institute gave Bukele an 8.39 out of 10 rating for 2025, slightly higher than the previous year, confirming the trend across independent and government-aligned polling firms. La Prensa Grafica’s own survey showed approval climbing from 85.2 percent at mid-2025 to 91.9 percent by year-end before reaching the current 94 percent.
What the Numbers Mean for the Region
Bukele’s sustained popularity is exceptional by any regional standard. At a time when Brazil’s Lula sits at 44 percent approval and Colombia’s Petro faces 53.5 percent disapproval, Bukele operates in a category of his own — a leader whose security-first model has delivered measurable results that voters overwhelmingly endorse, even as international observers question the civil liberties trade-offs involved.
The question is whether the model is exportable. Candidates across Latin America — from Peru to Colombia — are running on Bukele-style security platforms. Whether they can replicate his results without El Salvador’s specific conditions remains the central political experiment of the region’s current electoral cycle.