Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Colombia, you would:
Health
live 5.6 years less
In Colombia, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 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 29.2% more likely to be obese
In Colombia, 24.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
see 33.1% less spent on your healthcare
Colombia spends $1,758 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 36.3% fewer doctors per person
Colombia has 25.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
be 53.8% more likely to die by suicide
Colombia has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 60.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Colombia, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 14.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Colombia, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.
make 32.6% less money
Colombia has a GDP per capita of $8,562 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
be 33.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Colombia, approximately 59.0 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 16.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Colombia, approximately 10.5 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.
have 17.7% more children
In Colombia, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 16.2% less likely to have internet access
In Colombia, approximately 79.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 14.1% more on healthcare
Colombia spends 8.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 90.4% less coastline
Colombia has a total of 3,208 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 68.3% less likely to be murdered
Colombia has a homicide rate of 24.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 25.4% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Colombia, 51% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In El Salvador, that number is 38% as of 2019.
be 32.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Colombia, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 27.6% less home broadband
Colombia has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
live with 3.3 times more strain on fresh water
Colombia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 26.7% less electricity
Colombia uses 1,551 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 16.1% less CO2
Colombia emits 1.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 29.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Colombia, air pollution causes 24.0 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Colombia vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Colombia? See an in-depth size comparison.