Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Australia, you would:
Health
be 41.7% less likely to die by suicide
Australia has a suicide rate of 13.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 10.8 years less
In Australia, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024.
see 84.7% less spent on your healthcare
Australia spends $7,691 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 60.5% fewer doctors per person
Australia has 40.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
have 10.3% less access to essential health services
Australia scores 87 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. El Salvador scores 78 as of 2021.
Economy
be 19.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Australia, 4.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 2.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Australia, 13.4% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.
make 91.1% less money
Australia has a GDP per capita of $65,130 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
have 45.8% more children
In Australia, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 19.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Australia, approximately 2.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In El Salvador, 39.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Australia, approximately 3.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In El Salvador, on the other hand, 8.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 30.8% less likely to have internet access
In Australia, approximately 96.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 34.4% less on education
Australia spends 5.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 10.7% less on healthcare
Australia spends 10.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 98.8% less coastline
Australia has a total of 25,760 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 9.3 times more likely to be murdered
Australia has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 4.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Australia, road accidents kill 4.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 65.8% less home broadband
Australia has 36.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
live with 2.6 times more strain on fresh water
Australia withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 88.4% less electricity
Australia uses 9,801 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 89.3% less CO2
Australia emits 14.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Australia, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Australia vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Australia? See an in-depth size comparison.