Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nigeria instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
be 57.5% less likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nigeria, that number is 13.7% of people as of 2024.
be 34.6% less likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nigeria, it is 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.0 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 Nigeria, that number is 1.2% of people as of 2024.
live 17.7 years less
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Nigeria, that number is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2024.
see 77.9% less spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nigeria spends $260 as of 2023.
have 76.5% fewer doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Nigeria has 3.8 as of 2023.
have 51.3% less access to essential health services
El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nigeria scores 38 as of 2021.
Economy
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 Nigeria, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2022.
make 78.8% less money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Nigeria, the GDP per capita is $1,224 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nigeria, there are 32.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 25.5 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 Nigeria, 993.0 women do as of 2023.
be 21.6% less likely to be literate
In El Salvador, the literacy rate is 89.8% as of 2024. In Nigeria, it is 70.4% as of 2024.
be 7.9 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 Nigeria, on the other hand, 69.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 37.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In El Salvador, approximately 98% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Nigeria, that number is 61% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 33% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 38.0% less likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nigeria, about 41.2% do as of 2024.
be 10.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In El Salvador, approximately 92% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 80% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Nigeria, that number is 82% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 67% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 90.4% less on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Nigeria spends 0.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 54.9% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nigeria, that number is 4.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.8 times more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Nigeria, that number is 853 km.
Safety
be 2.1 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 Nigeria, that number is 79% as of 2019.
be 20.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nigeria, they kill 17.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 99.4% more likely to be murdered
El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Nigeria, that number is 15.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 20.0% less strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nigeria withdraws 10% as of 2022.
find 99.4% less home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nigeria has 0.1 as of 2024.
use 87.3% less electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Nigeria uses 144 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 62.3% less CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nigeria emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.5 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 Nigeria, it causes 77.0 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. Nigeria
Nigeria: At a glance
How big is Nigeria compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.