Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Thailand instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
live 4.3 years longer
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 77 years (72 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 49.1% less likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 16.4% of people as of 2024.
have 66.5% fewer doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Thailand has 5.4 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Thailand, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 76.4% less likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Thailand, that number is 0.8% as of 2025.
be 80.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In El Salvador, 27.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Thailand, however, that number is 5.4% as of 2022.
make 39.7% more money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Thailand, the GDP per capita is $8,057 as of 2025.
Life
be 12.5% 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 Thailand, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.
have 47.9% fewer children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Thailand, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 36.7% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Thailand, about 90.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 24.1% less on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Thailand spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 51.1% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Thailand, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 10.5 times more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Thailand, that number is 3,219 km.
Safety
be 76.6% 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 Thailand, that number is 67% as of 2022.
be 18.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Thailand, they kill 25.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 19.5% more home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Thailand has 14.9 as of 2024.
use 2.6 times more electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Thailand uses 2,965 kWh as of 2023.
live with 90.3% more strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Thailand withdraws 23% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 2.6 times more CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Thailand emits 4.0 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. Thailand
Thailand: At a glance
How big is Thailand compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.