Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
be 61.1% less likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 23.4% more likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 39.7% of people as of 2024.
see 28.3% less spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
have 36.8% fewer doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iraq has 10.2 as of 2022.
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. Iraq scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 35.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In El Salvador, 27.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Iraq, however, that number is 17.5% as of 2023.
be 4.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
Life
have 64.0% more children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 69.2% 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 Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.3 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 Iraq, on the other hand, 20.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 22.5% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iraq, about 81.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 40.5% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 81.1% less coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
Infrastructure
find 41.5% more home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.
use 21.1% more electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iraq uses 1,377 kWh as of 2023.
live with 4.9 times more strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.8 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 Iraq, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.4 times more CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes as of 2024.
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. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.