Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belize instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
live 1.4 years longer
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Belize, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
be 45.2% less likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belize, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In El Salvador, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Belize, that number is 1.2% of people as of 2024.
be 35.0% more likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belize, that number is 43.4% of people as of 2024.
see 51.2% less spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belize spends $573 as of 2023.
have 12.8% less access to essential health services
El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Belize scores 68 as of 2021.
Economy
make 36.4% more money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Belize, the GDP per capita is $7,865 as of 2025.
be 2.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belize, that number is 8.9% as of 2025.
Life
have 15.7% more children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belize, there are 18.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 71.8% 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 Belize, 67.0 women do as of 2023.
be 22.7% 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 Belize, on the other hand, 10.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 20.4% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Belize, about 80.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 55.3% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Belize, that number is 4.2% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 39.2% more on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Belize spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 25.7% more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Belize, that number is 386 km.
Safety
be 18.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belize, they kill 17.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.6 times more likely to be murdered
El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Belize, that number is 28.1 per 100,000 as of 2022.
Infrastructure
live with 89.6% less strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belize withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 21.7% less home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belize has 9.8 as of 2022.
Environment
be 32.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belize, it causes 21.0 as of 2019.
emit 38.4% less CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belize emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. Belize
Belize: At a glance
How big is Belize compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.