If you lived in El Salvador instead of Costa Rica, you would:

Health

live 4.3 years less

In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 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 13.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Costa Rica, 8.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In El Salvador, that number is 7.0% as of 2017.

make 58.9% less money

Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,700 as of 2020, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $8,100 as of 2020.

pay a 100.0% higher top tax rate

Costa Rica has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In El Salvador, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2016.

Life

have 25.1% more children

In Costa Rica, there are approximately 14.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In El Salvador, there are 17.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

be 70.4% more likely to die during childbirth

In Costa Rica, approximately 27.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In El Salvador, 46.0 women do as of 2017.

be 44.7% more likely to die during infancy

In Costa Rica, approximately 8.4 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 32.1% less likely to have internet access

In Costa Rica, approximately 81.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In El Salvador, about 55.0% do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 49.3% less on education

Costa Rica spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. El Salvador spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

Geography

see 76.2% less coastline

Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 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, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica.

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 Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.

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