Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in El Salvador instead of Belgium, you would:

Health

live 6.5 years less

In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022. In El Salvador, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022.

be 11.3% more likely to be obese

In Belgium, 22.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In El Salvador, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 49.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Belgium, 5.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 2.8% as of 2023.

pay a 44.1% lower top tax rate

Belgium has a top tax rate of 53.7% as of 2016. In El Salvador, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2016.

make 82.2% less money

Belgium has a GDP per capita of $63,600 as of 2023, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $11,300 as of 2023.

be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In El Salvador, however, that number is 26.6% as of 2022.

Life

have 58.3% more children

In Belgium, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 8.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Belgium, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In El Salvador, 43.0 women do as of 2020.

be 3.8 times more likely to die during infancy

In Belgium, approximately 3.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In El Salvador, on the other hand, 12.1 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 30.8% less likely to have internet access

In Belgium, approximately 91.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In El Salvador, about 63.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 38.8% less on education

Belgium spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. El Salvador spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 10.8% less on healthcare

Belgium spends 11.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In El Salvador, that number is 9.9% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 4.6 times more coastline

Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Service Public Fédéral Finances, The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance.

El Salvador: At a glance

El Salvador is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 20,721 sq km. El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war, which cost about 75,000 lives, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms.
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How big is El Salvador compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.

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