Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
be 36.0% less likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
be 52.8% less likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.0 years less
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 71.9% less spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
have 80.4% fewer doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
have 47.4% less access to essential health services
El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
make 92.8% less money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 13.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In El Salvador, approximately 39.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 58.5% less likely to be literate
In El Salvador, the literacy rate is 89.8% as of 2024. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 5.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In El Salvador, approximately 8.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Afghanistan, on the other hand, 48.3 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In El Salvador, approximately 98% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 85% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 75.8% less likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
be 11.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In El Salvador, approximately 92% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 80% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 81% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 61.4% more on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 49.0% less likely to be murdered
El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Afghanistan, that number is 4.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 12.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.4% less home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
live with 4.5 times more strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 81.5% less CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Afghanistan, it causes 143.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.