Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guatemala instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
be 13.0% less likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
be 35.3% less likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guatemala, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 20.4% less spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guatemala spends $935 as of 2023.
have 20.7% fewer doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Guatemala has 12.8 as of 2020.
have 24.4% less access to essential health services
El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Guatemala scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 21.2% less likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guatemala, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 14.4% more money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
be 2.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In El Salvador, 27.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Guatemala, however, that number is 56.0% as of 2023.
Life
have 32.2% more children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.4 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 Guatemala, 94.0 women do as of 2023.
be 95.5% 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 Guatemala, on the other hand, 17.2 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 26.8% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 30.3% more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Guatemala, that number is 400 km.
Safety
be 41.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Guatemala, they kill 12.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.0 times more likely to be murdered
El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Guatemala, that number is 23.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 52.5% less strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guatemala withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 57.1% less home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guatemala has 5.3 as of 2024.
use 35.5% less electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Guatemala uses 733 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 26.5% less CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 29.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Guatemala, it causes 40.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. Guatemala
Guatemala: At a glance
How big is Guatemala compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.