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

Health

be 70.6% less likely to be obese

In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Uganda, that number is 9.5% of people as of 2024.

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be 27.9% less likely to die by suicide

El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Uganda, it is 5.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 12.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In El Salvador, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Uganda, that number is 4.9% of people as of 2024.

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live 3.8 years less

In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Uganda, that number is 68 years (65 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 88.2% less spent on your healthcare

El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Uganda spends $139 as of 2023.

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have 88.2% fewer doctors per person

El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Uganda has 1.9 as of 2022.

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have 37.2% less access to essential health services

El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Uganda scores 49 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 16.7% less likely to be unemployed

In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Uganda, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.

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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 Uganda, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2023.

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make 79.1% less money

El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Uganda, the GDP per capita is $1,206 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.2 times more children

In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Uganda, there are 34.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 4.4 times more 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 Uganda, 170.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 14.2% less likely to be literate

In El Salvador, the literacy rate is 89.8% as of 2024. In Uganda, it is 77.0% as of 2024.

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be 4.1 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 Uganda, on the other hand, 35.9 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 47.6% less likely to have access to electricity

In El Salvador, approximately 98% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Uganda, that number is 52% of people on average (76% in urban areas, and 42% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 86.5% less likely to have internet access

In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Uganda, about 8.9% do as of 2024.

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be 31.2% less likely to have access to drinking water

In El Salvador, approximately 92% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 80% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Uganda, that number is 63% of people on average (80% in urban areas, and 57% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 22.9% less on education

El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Uganda spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 54.4% less on healthcare

El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Uganda, that number is 4.2% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 25.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Uganda, they kill 16.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 13.5% more likely to be murdered

El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Uganda, that number is 9.0 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

live with 51.8% less strain on fresh water

El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Uganda withdraws 6% as of 2022.

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find 98.3% less home broadband

El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Uganda has 0.2 as of 2024.

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use 91.6% less electricity

El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Uganda uses 95 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 88.7% less CO2

El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Uganda emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 93.5% more likely to die from air pollution

In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Uganda, it causes 60.0 as of 2019.

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

Uganda: At a glance

Uganda is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 197,100 sq km. The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures. These differences prevented the establishment of a working political community after independence was achieved in 1962. The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed at least another 100,000 lives. The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. A constitutional referendum in 2005 cancelled a 19-year ban on multi-party politics.
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