Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
live 10.5 years longer
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 31.0% less likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
see 5.9 times more spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 2.7 times more doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
have 14.1% more access to essential health services
El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 56.1% more likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 17.1 times more money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 92.3% 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 Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 76.1% less 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 Iceland, on the other hand, 2.1 children do as of 2024.
have 28.2% fewer children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 47.7% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.2 times more on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 16.2 times more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 83.7% less likely to be murdered
El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.4 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 Iceland, that number is 91% as of 2022.
be 88.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.0 times more home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 96.8% less strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 43.1 times more electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 74.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.6 times more CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.