Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Turkmenistan instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
be 30.9% less likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
have 19.4% more doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Turkmenistan has 19.3 as of 2023.
be 10.5% less likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.1 years less
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
make 13.4% more money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Turkmenistan, the GDP per capita is $6,540 as of 2025.
be 29.4% more likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Turkmenistan, that number is 4.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 87.2% 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 Turkmenistan, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
be 11.3% more likely to be literate
In El Salvador, the literacy rate is 89.8% as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, it is 99.9% as of 2022.
have 34.0% more children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.5 times 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 Turkmenistan, on the other hand, 30.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 61.9% less likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, about 25.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 40.8% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Turkmenistan, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 29.2% more on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Turkmenistan spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Safety
be 62.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, they kill 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 2.4 times more electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Turkmenistan uses 2,778 kWh as of 2023.
find 58.1% less home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Turkmenistan has 5.2 as of 2022.
live with 11.2 times more strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Turkmenistan withdraws 135% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.8 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 Turkmenistan, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 7.2 times more CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Turkmenistan emits 10.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan: At a glance
How big is Turkmenistan compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.