Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Ecuador, you would:
Health
live 5.3 years less
In Ecuador, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 80 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 11.2% more likely to be obese
In Ecuador, 28.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
have 30.1% fewer doctors per person
Ecuador has 23.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
Economy
be 27.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ecuador, 21.4% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.
make 19.1% less money
Ecuador has a GDP per capita of $7,125 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
be 29.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ecuador, approximately 55.0 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 19.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Ecuador, approximately 10.9 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.
Basic Needs
be 13.9% less likely to have internet access
In Ecuador, approximately 77.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.0% less on education
Ecuador spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 22.9% more on healthcare
Ecuador spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 86.3% less coastline
Ecuador has a total of 2,237 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 82.7% less likely to be murdered
Ecuador has a homicide rate of 45.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
Infrastructure
find 27.8% less home broadband
Ecuador has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
live with 78.3% more strain on fresh water
Ecuador withdraws 7% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 32.1% less electricity
Ecuador uses 1,676 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 42.8% less CO2
Ecuador emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 34.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Ecuador, air pollution causes 23.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ecuador vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Ecuador? See an in-depth size comparison.