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

Health

live 2.5 years longer

In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 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 16.0% more likely to be obese

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

Economy

be 61.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Guatemala, 59.3% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In El Salvador, however, that number is 22.8% as of 2019.

be 3.0 times more likely to be unemployed

In Guatemala, 2.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In El Salvador, that number is 7.0% as of 2017.

pay a 4.3 times higher top tax rate

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

Life

be 51.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Guatemala, approximately 95.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In El Salvador, 46.0 women do as of 2017.

be 10.3% more likely to be literate

In Guatemala, the literacy rate is 80.8% as of 2018. In El Salvador, it is 89.1% as of 2019.

be 53.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Guatemala, approximately 26.2 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 20.0% fewer children

In Guatemala, there are approximately 22.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In El Salvador, there are 17.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 10.0% more likely to have internet access

In Guatemala, approximately 50.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In El Salvador, about 55.0% do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 16.1% more on healthcare

Guatemala spends 6.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In El Salvador, that number is 7.2% of GDP as of 2019.

Geography

see 23.2% less coastline

Guatemala has a total of 400 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, Superintendence of the Tax Administration.

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 Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.

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