Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
live 9.6 years longer
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
be 29.0% less likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 31.8% more likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 7.0 times more money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.
be 81.5% more likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 71.8% 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 Puerto Rico, 11.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.4% 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 Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.
have 63.5% fewer children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 31.3% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, about 87.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 28.6% more on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 63.2% more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.
Safety
be 41.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 84.7% more likely to be murdered
El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, that number is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 2.2 times more home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.
live with 61.6% more strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 3.2 times more CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.