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

Health

live 13.2 years longer

In Benin, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 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 2.6 times more likely to be obese

In Benin, 9.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In El Salvador, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 3.0 times more money

Benin has a GDP per capita of $3,800 as of 2023, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $11,300 as of 2023.

be 30.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Benin, 38.5% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In El Salvador, however, that number is 26.6% as of 2022.

be 90.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Benin, 1.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 2.8% as of 2023.

Life

be 91.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Benin, approximately 523.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In El Salvador, 43.0 women do as of 2020.

be 94.5% more likely to be literate

In Benin, the literacy rate is 45.8% as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 89.1% as of 2019.

be 78.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Benin, approximately 55.8 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.

have 57.6% fewer children

In Benin, there are approximately 40.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 77.0% more likely to have access to electricity

In Benin, approximately 56% of people have electricity access (67% in urban areas, and 18% in rural areas) as of 2022. In El Salvador, that number is 100% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 85.3% more likely to have internet access

In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In El Salvador, about 63.0% do as of 2021.

be 31.5% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Benin, approximately 75% of people have improved drinking water access (79% in urban areas, and 71% in rural areas) as of 2020. In El Salvador, that number is 98% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 36.7% more on education

Benin spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. El Salvador spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 3.8 times more on healthcare

Benin spends 2.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In El Salvador, that number is 9.9% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 2.5 times more coastline

Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.


The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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 Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.

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