Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 13.8% less likely to be obese

In El Salvador, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Guatemala, that number is 21.2% of people as of 2016.

live 2.5 years less

In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022. In Guatemala, that number is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 12.4% more money

El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $11,300 as of 2023, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $12,700 as of 2023.

pay a 76.7% lower top tax rate

El Salvador has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Guatemala, the top tax rate is 7.0% as of 2016.

be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In El Salvador, 26.6% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Guatemala, however, that number is 59.3% as of 2014.

Life

have 25.1% more children

In El Salvador, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 21.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 2.2 times more likely to die during childbirth

In El Salvador, approximately 43.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Guatemala, 96.0 women do as of 2020.

be 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy

In El Salvador, approximately 12.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Guatemala, on the other hand, 26.2 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 19.0% less likely to have internet access

In El Salvador, approximately 63.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Guatemala, about 51.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 24.4% less on education

El Salvador spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Guatemala spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 34.3% less on healthcare

El Salvador spends 9.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Guatemala, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 30.3% more coastline

El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Guatemala, that number is 400 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Superintendence of the Tax Administration.

Guatemala: At a glance

Guatemala is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 107,159 sq km. The Maya civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the internal conflict, which had left more than 200,000 people dead and had created, by some estimates, about 1 million refugees.
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How big is Guatemala compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.

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