Summary
DPL News report on a January 2025 Universidad Centroamericana (UCA, the Jesuit university) survey showing 91.9% of Salvadorans did not use Bitcoin for any transaction in 2024. Only 8.1% reported using it. The survey was released just before the Congress vote removing Bitcoin’s mandatory legal tender status.
Key Points
- 91.9% of Salvadorans did not use Bitcoin for purchases or payments in 2024.
- Only 8.1% reported using Bitcoin for transactions.
- Survey conducted by Universidad Centroamericana (UCA) — a credible academic source.
- Released January 2025, shortly before the legal tender amendment vote.
Newsletter Angles
- The 92% non-use figure is the definitive number for El Salvador Bitcoin adoption failure. It’s clean, recent, and from an independent academic source.
- The timing — published just before the legal tender vote — suggests the survey was designed to inform or accompany the policy reversal.
- UCA is a Jesuit university with a history of opposing Bukele; the survey reflects civil society pushback on crypto policy.
Entities Mentioned
- El Salvador — surveyed population
- Nayib Bukele — president whose Bitcoin policy is effectively repudiated by this data
Concepts Mentioned
- El Salvador Bitcoin Experiment — the final adoption verdict
Notes
Short report. The UCA survey is the most recent and authoritative non-government source on Bitcoin usage in El Salvador. Cross-references with: Sensor Tower app data (6% active Chivo users), CoinMarketCap/NBER (40% retention after bonus), Times of India (7.5% in 2023).