Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Dominican Republic, you would:
Health
live 1.6 years less
In Dominican Republic, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 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.
have 33.4% fewer doctors per person
Dominican Republic has 24.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
be 81.7% more likely to die by suicide
Dominican Republic has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 35.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Dominican Republic, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 57.2% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Dominican Republic, 17.3% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.
make 47.9% less money
Dominican Republic has a GDP per capita of $11,059 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
be 68.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Dominican Republic, approximately 124.0 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 68.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Dominican Republic, approximately 27.7 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.
have 11.5% fewer children
In Dominican Republic, there are approximately 17.6 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 26.9% less likely to have internet access
In Dominican Republic, approximately 91.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.7% less on education
Dominican Republic spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 2.0 times more on healthcare
Dominican Republic spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 76.2% less coastline
Dominican Republic has a total of 1,288 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 27.7% less likely to be murdered
Dominican Republic has a homicide rate of 10.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 21.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Dominican Republic, road accidents kill 27.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 11.3% more home broadband
Dominican Republic has 11.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
live with 69.4% less strain on fresh water
Dominican Republic withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 39.1% less electricity
Dominican Republic uses 1,867 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 49.5% less CO2
Dominican Republic emits 3.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 14.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Dominican Republic, air pollution causes 27.0 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Dominican Republic vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Dominican Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.