Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 7.2 years longer

In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022. In Spain, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 4.1 times more money

El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $11,300 as of 2023, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $46,400 as of 2023.

be 24.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In El Salvador, 26.6% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Spain, however, that number is 20.2% as of 2022.

be 4.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In El Salvador, 2.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Spain, that number is 12.1% as of 2023.

pay a 50.0% higher top tax rate

El Salvador has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Spain, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 93.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In El Salvador, approximately 43.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2020.

be 10.7% more likely to be literate

In El Salvador, the literacy rate is 89.1% as of 2019. In Spain, it is 98.6% as of 2020.

be 79.7% less 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 Spain, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

have 58.5% fewer children

In El Salvador, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 49.2% more likely to have internet access

In El Salvador, approximately 63.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Spain, about 94.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 12.2% more on education

El Salvador spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 16.2 times more coastline

El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Agencia Tributaria, Spain.

Spain: At a glance

Spain is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 498,980 sq km. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently the government has had to focus on measures to reverse a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008. Austerity measures implemented to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors have led to one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe.
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How big is Spain compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.

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