Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Peru instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
live 5.6 years longer
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Peru, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
be 79.8% less likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Peru, it is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 18.6% less spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Peru spends $956 as of 2023.
Economy
make 67.9% more money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Peru, the GDP per capita is $9,684 as of 2025.
be 55.2% more likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Peru, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 30.8% 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 Peru, 51.0 women do as of 2023.
be 25.0% 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 Peru, on the other hand, 11.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 23.3% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Peru, about 82.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 39.3% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Peru, that number is 5.6% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 31.3% more on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Peru spends 4.4% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 7.9 times more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Peru, that number is 2,414 km.
Safety
be 40.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Peru, they kill 12.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 60.0% less strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Peru withdraws 5% as of 2022.
use 40.3% more electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Peru uses 1,595 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 16.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Peru, it causes 26.0 as of 2019.
emit 33.8% more CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Peru emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. Peru
Peru: At a glance
How big is Peru compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.