If you lived in El Salvador instead of United States, you would:

Health

be 32.0% less likely to be obese

In United States, 36.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In El Salvador, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2016.

live 5.2 years less

In United States, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 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.

Economy

be 24.0% less likely to be unemployed

In United States, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 2.8% as of 2023.

pay a 24.2% lower top tax rate

United States has a top tax rate of 39.6% as of 2016. In El Salvador, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2016.

make 84.6% less money

United States has a GDP per capita of $73,600 as of 2023, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $11,300 as of 2023.

be 76.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In United States, 15.1% live below the poverty line as of 2010. In El Salvador, however, that number is 26.6% as of 2022.

Life

have 40.2% more children

In United States, there are approximately 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 2.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In United States, approximately 21.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In El Salvador, 43.0 women do as of 2020.

be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy

In United States, approximately 5.2 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 31.5% less likely to have internet access

In United States, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In El Salvador, about 63.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 32.8% less on education

United States spends 6.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. El Salvador spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 47.3% less on healthcare

United States spends 18.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In El Salvador, that number is 9.9% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 98.5% less coastline

United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.


The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Internal Revenue Service.

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 United States? See an in-depth size comparison.

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