Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
live 6.7 years longer
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 3.0 times more spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
have 2.1 times more doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Saudi Arabia has 34.1 as of 2023.
be 87.5% less likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 24.7% more likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 6.0 times more money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Saudi Arabia, the GDP per capita is $34,537 as of 2025.
Life
be 82.1% 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 Saudi Arabia, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 46.6% 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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 50.4% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 38.8% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 34.9% more on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 8.6 times more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 2,640 km.
Safety
be 88.1% less likely to be murdered
El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 14.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, they kill 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.5 times more home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Saudi Arabia has 44.1 as of 2024.
use 10.5 times more electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh as of 2023.
live with 80.6 times more strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.9 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 Saudi Arabia, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 12.2 times more CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.