SAN SALVADOR, April 24 (Reuters) - El Salvadoran lawmakers late Thursday voted to allow the government to issue up to $900 million in debt to fund security and social programs.

Lawmakers voted 56-28 to approve the debt issuance, with conservative opposition party ARENA voting against a coalition led by leftist president Salvador Sanchez Ceren's party.

El Salvador's debt has reached nearly $16 billion, or about 60 percent of gross domestic product, according to the central bank.

(Reporting by Nelson Renteria; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)