Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
live 5.7 years longer
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In China, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 71.1% less likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
see 26.5% more spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
have 92.6% more doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. China has 31.1 as of 2022.
be 17.3% more likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In China, it is 8.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.4 times more money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
be 40.0% more likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In China, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
Life
be 59.0% less 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 China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 53.4% less 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 China, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 56.6% fewer children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 37.8% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In China, about 91.6% do as of 2025.
Expenditures
spend 36.1% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In China, that number is 5.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 17.5% more on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. China spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 47.2 times more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
Safety
be 93.7% less likely to be murdered
El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In China, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 2.4 times more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In El Salvador, 38% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In China, that number is 91% as of 2020.
be 19.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In China, they kill 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.8 times more home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. China has 47.2 as of 2024.
use 5.7 times more electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. China uses 6,524 kWh as of 2023.
live with 3.4 times more strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. China withdraws 42% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.1 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 China, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.2 times more CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. China emits 9.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.