Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
be 44.7% less likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.0 years less
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 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 39.9% more likely to be obese
In Cuba, 23.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
see 54.4% less spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 83.1% fewer doctors per person
Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
Economy
be 88.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
Life
have 81.0% more children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 29.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Cuba, approximately 6.8 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.
Expenditures
spend 60.7% less on education
Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 91.8% less coastline
Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 77.1% more likely to be murdered
Cuba has a homicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 4.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.0 times more home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
live with 49.5% less strain on fresh water
Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 22.2% less electricity
Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 20.9% less CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cuba vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.