Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sweden instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
live 11.8 years longer
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 45.6% less likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 17.5% of people as of 2024.
see 6.6 times more spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sweden spends $7,770 as of 2024.
have 2.7 times more doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sweden has 44.1 as of 2021.
be 81.4% more likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sweden, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 40.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In El Salvador, 27.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Sweden, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2022.
make 10.9 times more money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $63,133 as of 2025.
be 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sweden, that number is 8.7% as of 2025.
Life
be 89.7% 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 Sweden, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 77.3% 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 Sweden, on the other hand, 2.0 children do as of 2024.
have 40.4% fewer children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sweden, there are 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 44.1% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sweden, about 95.8% do as of 2025.
Expenditures
spend 2.2 times more on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sweden spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 20.8% more on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 11.2% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 10.5 times more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.
Safety
be 85.4% less likely to be murdered
El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Sweden, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 92.6% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In El Salvador, 38% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In Sweden, that number is 73% as of 2022.
be 90.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sweden, they kill 2.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.3 times more home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sweden has 40.6 as of 2024.
live with 70.4% less strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sweden withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 10.8 times more electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sweden uses 12,226 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 74.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sweden, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.4 times more CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. Sweden
Sweden: At a glance
How big is Sweden compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.