Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ghana instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
be 54.8% less likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 14.6% of people as of 2024.
be 30.3% less likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ghana, it is 5.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.8 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 Ghana, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.
live 6.6 years less
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 80.1% less spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ghana spends $234 as of 2023.
have 83.5% fewer doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Ghana has 2.7 as of 2023.
have 38.5% less access to essential health services
El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ghana scores 48 as of 2021.
Economy
make 43.5% less money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Ghana, the GDP per capita is $3,257 as of 2025.
Life
have 66.2% more children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ghana, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Ghana, 234.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.8% less likely to be literate
In El Salvador, the literacy rate is 89.8% as of 2024. In Ghana, it is 76.5% as of 2021.
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 Ghana, on the other hand, 27.5 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 12.3% less on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Ghana spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 68.2% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ghana, that number is 3.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 75.6% more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Ghana, that number is 539 km.
Safety
be 76.8% less likely to be murdered
El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Ghana, that number is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 2.2 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 Ghana, that number is 83% as of 2019.
be 20.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ghana, they kill 25.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 47.8% less strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ghana withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 94.7% less home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ghana has 0.7 as of 2024.
use 50.3% less electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ghana uses 565 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 53.6% less CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.9 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 Ghana, it causes 89.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. Ghana
Ghana: At a glance
How big is Ghana compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.