If you lived in El Salvador instead of North Korea, you would:

Health

live 3.6 years longer

In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 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 3.6 times more likely to be obese

In North Korea, 6.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In El Salvador, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 6.6 times more money

North Korea has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2015, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $11,300 as of 2023.

Life

be 59.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In North Korea, approximately 107.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In El Salvador, 43.0 women do as of 2020.

be 45.3% less likely to die during infancy

In North Korea, approximately 22.2 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.

have 29.5% more children

In North Korea, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 10.9% less likely to be literate

In North Korea, the literacy rate is 100.0% as of 2015. In El Salvador, it is 89.1% as of 2019.

Basic Needs

be 82.8% more likely to have access to electricity

In North Korea, approximately 55% of people have electricity access (36% in urban areas, and 11% 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.

Geography

see 87.7% less coastline

North Korea has a total of 2,495 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 North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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