El Salvador has a HDI of 0.659-medium (2nd in Central America, Costa Rica has 1st) and a population of est.8,173,402, it has the third highest population in Central America, but it has the smallest country, eight million people living on a country with an area of 21,000sq km (13,048sq mi) The country has less resources but Salvadorans work hard to exploit everything they can that's why they are above, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua in Human Development .The next list has all of the fourteen departments of El Salvador in order of the highest human development index to the lowest in the country.

Place	Departament	Capital	HDI	Estiamted Population 2010
Very High
1st	San Salvador Department San Salvador Department San Salvador is a department of El Salvador in the west central part of the country. The capital is San Salvador, which is also the national capital. The department has North of the Rio Lempa Valley, the "Valle de las Hamacas" and a section of Lake Ilopango...	San Salvador San Salvador The city of San Salvador the capital and largest city of El Salvador, which has been designated a Gamma World City. Its complete name is La Ciudad de Gran San Salvador...	0.795 (very high)	2,995,787
High
2nd	La Libertad Department	Santa Tecla, El Salvador Santa Tecla, El Salvador Santa Tecla is a municipality in the La Libertad department of El Salvador. It is the capital of the department of La Libertad.The city was named after Saint Thecla who was a saint of the early Christian Church, and a reported follower of Paul of Tarsus in the 1st century AD...	0.758 (high)	842,624
3rd	Santa Ana Department Santa Ana Department Santa Ana is a department of El Salvador in the northwest of the country. The capital is Santa Ana.- General information :It has 2,023 km² and a population of over 600,000. This department was created on February 8, 1855...	Santa Ana, El Salvador Santa Ana, El Salvador Santa Ana is the second largest city in El Salvador, located 64 kilometers west of San Salvador, the capital city. Santa Ana has approximately 274,830 inhabitants and serves both as the capital of the department of Santa Ana and...	0.740 (high)	630,903
4th	Sonsonate Department Sonsonate Department Sonsonate is a department of El Salvador in the western part of the country. The capital is Sonsonate.The department has a population of over 500,000 and an area of 1,226 km².Created on June 12, 1824...	Sonsonate	0.731 (high)	518,522
5th	Cuscatlán	Cojutepeque Cojutepeque Cojutepeque is the capital city of El Salvador's Cuscatlán department. It also serves as the administrative centre for the surrounding municipality of Cojutepeque...	0.727 (high)	231,480
6th	San Miguel Department San Miguel Department (El Salvador) San Miguel is a department of El Salvador in the eastern part of the country. The capital is San Miguel. It has 2,077 km² and a population of over 450,000...	San Miguel, El Salvador San Miguel, El Salvador San Miguel is the fourth most populous city in El Salvador after Santa Ana and Soyapango and the second most important after San Salvador. It is located 138 km east of the capital, San Salvador. It is also the capital of the department of San Miguel and a municipality...	0.713 (high)	454,003
7th	La Paz Department La Paz Department (El Salvador) La Paz is a department of El Salvador in the south central area of the country. The capital is Zacatecoluca. La Paz has an area of 1,224 km² and a population of more than 300,000. The department was created in 1852. There are various caves containing rock writing. The department has a church...	Zacatecoluca	0.707 (high)	318,107
8th	Usulután Department Usulután Department Usulután from the Nawat language is a department of El Salvador in the southeast of the country . The capital is Usulután.It is El Salvador's largest department...	Usulután Usulután Usulután is the 5th largest city in El Salvador, and capital of the Department of Usulutan in the south-east of El Salvador. As of 2006, it is estimated to have population of 71,636 people.Usulutan rests in a rich agricultural valley....	0.698 (high)	464,883
9th	Ahuachapan Department Ahuachapán Department Ahuachapán is a department of El Salvador in the west of the country. The capital is Ahuachapán. In the South it has the Apenca-Ilamatepec Range and the Cerro Grande de Apaneca...	Ahuachapan Ahuachapán Ahuachapán is a city and municipality and the capital of the Ahuachapán Department in western El Salvador. The municipality including the city covers an area of 244.84 km² and as of 2007 has a population of 110,511 people...	0.694 (high)	377,141
10th	San Vicente Department San Vicente Department San Vicente is a department of El Salvador in the center of the country. The capital is San Vicente. On October 4, 1834, San Vicente City of Austria and Lorenzana was made the capital of State of El Salvador during the Federal Republic of Central America...	San Vicente, El Salvador San Vicente, El Salvador San Vicente is a municipality in the San Vicente department of El Salvador. It was founded by 50 Spanish families in 1635, under the Tempisque tree, which is still standing today....	0.688 (high)	230,205
Medium
11th	Chalatenango Department Chalatenango Department Chalatenango is a department of El Salvador, located in the northwest of the country. The capital is the city of Chalatenango. The Chalatenango Department encompasses 2,017 km² and contains more than 220,000 inhabitants. Las Matras Archaeological Ruins contains the relics of prehistoric...	Chalatenango Chalatenango, Chalatenango Chalatenango is a town and municipality in the Chalatenango department of El Salvador. It is the capital of the department.The coat of arms is actually the same as the department's, as is the flag....	0.682 (medium)	274,878
12th	La Unión Department La Unión Department La Unión is a department of El Salvador. It is located in the eastern part of the country and its capital is La Unión. It covers a total of 2,074 km² and has a population of 300,000. The department was created on June 22, 1865 and the city of La Unión was made its capital...	La Unión, El Salvador La Unión, El Salvador La Unión is a municipality in the La Unión department of El Salvador.It is the capital city of the Department of its same name. It is the largest city in the department also with a population of almost 26,739 inhabitants. On January 16, 2005 the government of El Salvador started building a new...	0.675 (medium)	372,271
13th	Cabañas Cabañas Department Cabañas is a department of El Salvador in the north central part of the country. The capital is Sensuntepeque. Sensuntepeque means 400 hills because around the department there are small hills.One of the coldest regions in El Salvador and Certified place of Tourism , strongly recommended. Cabañas...	Sensuntepeque Sensuntepeque Sensuntepeque is a municipality in the Cabañas department of El Salvador....	0.662 (medium)	214,150
14th	Morazán Morazán Department Morazán is a department of El Salvador. Located in the northeast part of the country, its capital is San Francisco Gotera. It covers a total surface area of 1,447 km² and has a population of more than 200,000.-History:...	San Francisco Gotera	0.642 (medium)	251,447