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

Health

be 29.5% less likely to be obese

In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 22.7% of people as of 2024.

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be 7.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In El Salvador, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 2.8% of people as of 2024.

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live 3.8 years less

In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 42.8% less spent on your healthcare

El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gabon spends $673 as of 2023.

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have 67.8% fewer doctors per person

El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Gabon has 5.2 as of 2022.

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have 37.2% less access to essential health services

El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gabon scores 49 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 43.3% more money

El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Gabon, the GDP per capita is $8,263 as of 2025.

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be 6.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gabon, that number is 20.1% as of 2025.

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Life

have 73.9% more children

In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gabon, there are 27.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 6.0 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 Gabon, 233.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 2.9 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 Gabon, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 30.1% less on education

El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Gabon spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 66.3% less on healthcare

El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gabon, that number is 3.1% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 2.9 times more coastline

El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Gabon, that number is 885 km.

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Safety

be 41.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gabon, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 95.9% less strain on fresh water

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

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find 62.4% less home broadband

El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gabon has 4.7 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 71.0% more likely to die from air pollution

In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gabon, it causes 53.0 as of 2019.

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emit 35.8% more CO2

El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gabon emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Gabon: At a glance

Gabon is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 257,667 sq km. El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba - one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world - dominated the country's political scene for four decades (1967-2009) following independence from France in 1960. President BONGO introduced a nominal multiparty system and a new constitution in the early 1990s. However, allegations of electoral fraud during local elections in December 2002 and the presidential elections in 2005 exposed the weaknesses of formal political structures in Gabon. Following President BONGO's death in 2009, new elections brought Ali BONGO Ondimba, son of the former president, to power. Despite constrained political conditions, Gabon's small population, abundant natural resources, and considerable foreign support have helped make it one of the more stable African countries.
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How big is Gabon compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.

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