Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
live 1.0 years longer
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
be 59.4% less likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
be 35.8% less likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 42.4% less spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 65.8% fewer doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Bhutan has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 23.1% less access to essential health services
El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bhutan scores 60 as of 2021.
Economy
be 54.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In El Salvador, 27.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Bhutan, however, that number is 12.4% as of 2022.
make 22.1% less money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
be 20.5% 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 Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 27.7% less likely to be literate
In El Salvador, the literacy rate is 89.8% as of 2024. In Bhutan, it is 64.9% as of 2022.
be 55.7% 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 Bhutan, on the other hand, 13.7 children do as of 2024.
have 19.7% fewer children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 37.3% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bhutan, about 91.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 52.4% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 76.2% more on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 68.7% less likely to be murdered
El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Bhutan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 43.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 88.3% less strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 76.6% less home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
Environment
be 83.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
emit 33.1% more CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.