If you lived in Tunisia instead of El Salvador, you would:

Health

live 4.4 years longer

In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Tunisia, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 18.9% less likely to be obese

In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tunisia, that number is 26.1% of people as of 2024.

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be 75.9% less likely to die by suicide

El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Tunisia, it is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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have 18.6% fewer doctors per person

El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Tunisia has 13.2 as of 2021.

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have 14.1% less access to essential health services

El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tunisia scores 67 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 39.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In El Salvador, 27.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Tunisia, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2021.

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be 4.6 times more likely to be unemployed

In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Tunisia, that number is 15.1% as of 2025.

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make 19.2% less money

El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Tunisia, the GDP per capita is $4,657 as of 2025.

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Life

be 10.2% more 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 Tunisia, on the other hand, 9.7 children do as of 2024.

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have 14.3% fewer children

In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tunisia, there are 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 15.1% more likely to have internet access

In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Tunisia, about 76.5% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 14.0% less on healthcare

El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tunisia, that number is 8.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 2.0 times more on education

El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Tunisia spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Geography

see 3.7 times more coastline

El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Tunisia, that number is 1,148 km.

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Safety

be 40.6% less likely to be murdered

El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Tunisia, that number is 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2020.

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be 24.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tunisia, they kill 16.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 20.1% more home broadband

El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tunisia has 15.0 as of 2024.

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use 43.2% more electricity

El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Tunisia uses 1,629 kWh as of 2023.

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live with 8.1 times more strain on fresh water

El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Tunisia withdraws 98% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 77.4% more likely to die from air pollution

In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Tunisia, it causes 55.0 as of 2019.

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emit 73.5% more CO2

El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Tunisia emits 2.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Tunisia: At a glance

Tunisia is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 155,360 sq km. Rivalry between French and Italian interests in Tunisia culminated in a French invasion in 1881 and the creation of a protectorate. Agitation for independence in the decades following World War I was finally successful in getting the French to recognize Tunisia as an independent state in 1956. The country's first president, Habib BOURGUIBA, established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation. In November 1987, BOURGUIBA was removed from office and replaced by Zine el Abidine BEN ALI in a bloodless coup. Street protests that began in Tunis in December 2010 over high unemployment, corruption, widespread poverty, and high food prices escalated in January 2011, culminating in rioting that led to hundreds of deaths. On 14 January 2011, the same day BEN ALI dismissed the government, he fled the country, and by late January 2011, a "national unity government" was formed. Elections for the new Constituent Assembly were held in late October 2011, and in December, it elected human rights activist Moncef MARZOUKI as interim president. The Assembly began drafting a new constitution in February 2012 and, after several iterations and a months-long political crisis that stalled the transition, ratified the document in January 2014. Presidential and parliamentary elections for a permanent government could be held by the end of 2014.
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