Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Serbia instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
live 3.7 years longer
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Serbia, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
be 32.1% less likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Serbia, that number is 21.8% of people as of 2024.
see 95.9% more spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Serbia spends $2,303 as of 2023.
have 91.8% more doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Serbia has 31.0 as of 2022.
be 98.4% more likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Serbia, it is 15.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 27.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In El Salvador, 27.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Serbia, however, that number is 19.7% as of 2023.
make 2.6 times more money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Serbia, the GDP per capita is $15,262 as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Serbia, that number is 7.1% 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 Serbia, 11.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.7% more likely to be literate
In El Salvador, the literacy rate is 89.8% as of 2024. In Serbia, it is 99.3% as of 2022.
be 47.7% 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 Serbia, on the other hand, 4.6 children do as of 2024.
have 41.0% fewer children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Serbia, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 31.9% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Serbia, about 87.7% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.6% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Serbia, that number is 8.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 83.4% less likely to be murdered
El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Serbia, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 65.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Serbia, they kill 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.7 times more home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Serbia has 33.4 as of 2024.
live with 52.5% less strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Serbia withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 4.5 times more electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Serbia uses 5,090 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 45.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Serbia, it causes 45.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. Serbia
Serbia: At a glance
How big is Serbia compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.