Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Canada, you would:
Health
be 19.2% less likely to die by suicide
Canada has a suicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.8 years less
In Canada, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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.
be 23.8% more likely to be obese
In Canada, 26.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
see 84.6% less spent on your healthcare
Canada spends $7,646 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 42.7% fewer doctors per person
Canada has 28.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
have 14.3% less access to essential health services
Canada scores 91 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. El Salvador scores 78 as of 2021.
Economy
be 52.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Canada, 6.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 89.6% less money
Canada has a GDP per capita of $55,698 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
have 75.3% more children
In Canada, there are approximately 8.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Canada, approximately 12.0 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 87.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Canada, approximately 4.7 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 29.5% less likely to have internet access
In Canada, approximately 94.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 31.4% less on education
Canada spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 17.9% less on healthcare
Canada spends 11.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.8% less coastline
Canada has a total of 202,080 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 4.0 times more likely to be murdered
Canada has a homicide rate of 2.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 56.7% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Canada, 88% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In El Salvador, that number is 38% as of 2019.
be 4.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Canada, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 70.7% less home broadband
Canada has 42.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
live with 3.2 times more strain on fresh water
Canada withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 91.9% less electricity
Canada uses 14,093 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 89.2% less CO2
Canada emits 14.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Canada, air pollution causes 8.0 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Canada vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Canada? See an in-depth size comparison.