Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Dominican Republic instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
live 1.6 years longer
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
have 50.1% more doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Dominican Republic has 24.3 as of 2023.
be 45.0% less likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Dominican Republic, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 36.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In El Salvador, 27.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Dominican Republic, however, that number is 17.3% as of 2025.
make 91.8% more money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Dominican Republic, the GDP per capita is $11,059 as of 2025.
be 54.2% more likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Dominican Republic, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
Life
have 12.9% more children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, there are 17.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.2 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 Dominican Republic, 124.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.1 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 Dominican Republic, on the other hand, 27.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 36.9% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, about 91.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 50.5% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Dominican Republic, that number is 4.6% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 13.3% more on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Dominican Republic spends 3.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.2 times more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Dominican Republic, that number is 1,288 km.
Safety
be 38.2% more likely to be murdered
El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Dominican Republic, that number is 10.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 27.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Dominican Republic, they kill 27.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 64.2% more electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Dominican Republic uses 1,867 kWh as of 2023.
find 10.1% less home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Dominican Republic has 11.2 as of 2024.
live with 3.3 times more strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Dominican Republic withdraws 40% as of 2022.
Environment
be 12.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Dominican Republic, it causes 27.0 as of 2019.
emit 98.0% more CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Dominican Republic emits 3.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: At a glance
How big is Dominican Republic compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.