If you lived in Equatorial Guinea instead of El Salvador, you would:

Health

be 40.3% less likely to be obese

In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 19.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 8.4 years less

In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 48.2% less spent on your healthcare

El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Equatorial Guinea spends $609 as of 2023.

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have 90.5% fewer doctors per person

El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Equatorial Guinea has 1.5 as of 2022.

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have 41.0% less access to essential health services

El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Equatorial Guinea scores 46 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 14.7% more money

El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Equatorial Guinea, the GDP per capita is $6,615 as of 2025.

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be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed

In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.

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be 86.4% more likely to live below the poverty line

In El Salvador, 27.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, however, that number is 50.7% as of 2022.

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Life

have 92.2% more children

In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, there are 30.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 4.5 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 Equatorial Guinea, 174.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 5.4 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 Equatorial Guinea, on the other hand, 47.6 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 31.9% less likely to have access to electricity

In El Salvador, approximately 98% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 67% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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Expenditures

spend 62.3% less on healthcare

El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 3.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 45.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Equatorial Guinea, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 98.5% less strain on fresh water

El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Equatorial Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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find 99.2% less home broadband

El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Equatorial Guinea has 0.1 as of 2022.

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use 30.3% less electricity

El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Equatorial Guinea uses 792 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 90.3% more likely to die from air pollution

In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Equatorial Guinea, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.

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emit 68.9% more CO2

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

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Equatorial Guinea: At a glance

Equatorial Guinea is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 28,051 sq km. Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President Teodoro Obiang NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996, 2002, and 2009 presidential elections - as well as the 1999, 2004, 2008, and 2013 legislative elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production, resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, improvements in the population's living standards have been slow to develop.
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How big is Equatorial Guinea compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.

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