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

Health

be 51.3% less likely to die by suicide

Croatia has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 6.6 years less

In Croatia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 82 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.

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see 63.6% less spent on your healthcare

Croatia spends $3,229 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.

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have 58.7% fewer doctors per person

Croatia has 39.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.

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Economy

be 34.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Croatia, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.

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be 34.0% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Croatia, 20.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.

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make 78.7% less money

Croatia has a GDP per capita of $27,104 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.

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Life

have 88.0% more children

In Croatia, there are approximately 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 13.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Croatia, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In El Salvador, 39.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Croatia, approximately 4.1 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.

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Basic Needs

be 20.5% less likely to have internet access

In Croatia, approximately 83.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 18.8% less on education

Croatia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 29.9% more on healthcare

Croatia spends 7.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 94.7% less coastline

Croatia has a total of 5,835 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.

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Safety

be 11.8 times more likely to be murdered

Croatia has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.

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be 2.7 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Croatia, road accidents kill 8.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 57.9% less home broadband

Croatia has 29.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.

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live with 8.0 times more strain on fresh water

Croatia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.

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use 74.6% less electricity

Croatia uses 4,484 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 68.7% less CO2

Croatia emits 4.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this

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 Croatia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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