If you lived in Egypt instead of El Salvador, you would:

Health

be 91.7% less likely to die by suicide

El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Egypt, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 36.6% more likely to be obese

In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Egypt, that number is 43.9% of people as of 2024.

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see 23.0% less spent on your healthcare

El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Egypt spends $905 as of 2023.

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have 58.5% fewer doctors per person

El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Egypt has 6.7 as of 2020.

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have 10.3% less access to essential health services

El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Egypt scores 70 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Egypt, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.

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be 23.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In El Salvador, 27.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Egypt, however, that number is 33.5% as of 2021.

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make 46.5% less money

El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Egypt, the GDP per capita is $3,086 as of 2025.

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Life

be 56.4% 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 Egypt, 17.0 women do as of 2023.

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have 34.0% more children

In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Egypt, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 11.5% less likely to be literate

In El Salvador, the literacy rate is 89.8% as of 2024. In Egypt, it is 79.5% as of 2022.

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be 2.4 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 Egypt, on the other hand, 20.8 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 12.3% more likely to have internet access

In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Egypt, about 74.7% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 47.5% less on healthcare

El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Egypt, that number is 4.9% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 8.0 times more coastline

El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Egypt, that number is 2,450 km.

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Safety

be 56.3% less likely to die in a road accident

In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Egypt, they kill 9.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

use 31.3% more electricity

El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Egypt uses 1,493 kWh as of 2023.

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live with 11.7 times more strain on fresh water

El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Egypt withdraws 141% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 3.4 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 Egypt, it causes 105.0 as of 2019.

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emit 65.6% more CO2

El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Egypt emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Egypt: At a glance

Egypt is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 995,450 sq km. The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east and west, allowed for the development of one of the world's great civilizations. A unified kingdom arose circa 3200 B.C., and a series of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia. The last native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C., who in turn were replaced by the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. It was the Arabs who introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and who ruled for the next six centuries. A local military caste, the Mamluks took control about 1250 and continued to govern after the conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. Completion of the Suez Canal in 1869 elevated Egypt as an important world transportation hub. Ostensibly to protect its investments, Britain seized control of Egypt's government in 1882, but nominal allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914. Partially independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt acquired full sovereignty from Britain in 1952. The completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have altered the time-honored place of the Nile River in the agriculture and ecology of Egypt. A rapidly growing population (the largest in the Arab world), limited arable land, and dependence on the Nile all continue to overtax resources and stress society. The government has struggled to meet the demands of Egypt's population through economic reform and massive investment in communications and physical infrastructure. Inspired by the 2010 Tunisian revolution, Egyptian opposition groups led demonstrations and labor strikes countrywide, culminating in President Hosni MUBARAK's ouster. Egypt's military assumed national leadership until a new parliament was in place in early 2012; later that same year, Mohammed MORSI won the presidential election. Following often violent protests throughout the spring of 2013 against MORSI's government and the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), and massive anti-government demonstrations, the Egyptian Armed Forces (EAF) intervened and removed MORSI from power in mid-July 2013 and replaced him with interim president Adly MANSOUR. In mid-January 2014, voters approved a new constitution by referendum. Presidential elections to replace MANSOUR are scheduled for late May 2014. According to the constitution and the government's transitional road map, preparations for parliamentary elections will begin by mid-July 2014.
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