Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Romania instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
live 4.2 years longer
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.2 times more spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Romania spends $2,614 as of 2023.
have 2.2 times more doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Romania has 36.2 as of 2022.
be 26.1% more likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Romania, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 32.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In El Salvador, 27.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Romania, however, that number is 18.4% as of 2024.
make 3.9 times more money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Romania, the GDP per capita is $22,538 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 Romania, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 69.2% 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 Romania, 12.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.5% more likely to be literate
In El Salvador, the literacy rate is 89.8% as of 2024. In Romania, it is 99.2% as of 2021.
be 31.8% 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 Romania, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2024.
have 51.9% fewer children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Romania, there are 7.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 37.3% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Romania, about 91.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 38.5% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Romania, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 26.7% less coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Romania, that number is 225 km.
Safety
be 85.9% less likely to be murdered
El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Romania, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 55.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Romania, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.9 times more home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Romania has 35.8 as of 2024.
live with 36.9% less strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Romania withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 2.3 times more electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Romania uses 2,585 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 48.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Romania, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.5 times more CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Romania emits 3.7 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. Romania
Romania: At a glance
How big is Romania compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.