Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
live 1.4 years longer
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In North Korea, that number is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024.
be 62.8% less likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In North Korea, that number is 11.9% of people as of 2024.
have 12.8% less access to essential health services
El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. North Korea scores 68 as of 2021.
be 22.0% more likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In North Korea, it is 9.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Life
be 71.8% 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 North Korea, 67.0 women do as of 2023.
be 51.1% 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 North Korea, on the other hand, 13.3 children do as of 2024.
have 17.6% fewer children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In North Korea, there are 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 41.5% 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 North Korea, that number is 58% of people on average (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 8.1 times more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In North Korea, that number is 2,495 km.
Infrastructure
live with 2.3 times more strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. North Korea withdraws 28% as of 2022.
use 30.6% less electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. North Korea uses 789 kWh as of 2023.
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 North Korea, it causes 86.0 as of 2019.
emit 65.6% more CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. North Korea
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.