Quality of life comparison
If you lived in California instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
be 11.7% less likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In California, that number is 28.4% of people as of 2022.
Economy
be 57.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In El Salvador, 27.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In California, however, that number is 11.7% as of 2023.
make 14.6 times more money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in California, the GDP per capita is $84,028 as of 2024.
be 54.5% more likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In California, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
Basic Needs
be 39.3% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In California, about 92.6% do as of 2023.
Sources: World Bank (2023–2025), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), World Health Organization (2024), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024). How we calculate this
