Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
live 10.8 years longer
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 3.2 times more spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 85.1% more doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
be 77.6% less likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 34.2% less likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 8.7 times more money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 92.3% 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 United Arab Emirates, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.1% more likely to be literate
In El Salvador, the literacy rate is 89.8% as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, it is 98.8% as of 2024.
be 56.8% 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 United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, 3.8 children do as of 2024.
have 37.1% fewer children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 50.4% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 46.5% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 17.2% more on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
Geography
see 4.3 times more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 91.3% less likely to be murdered
El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 72.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 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. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
use 13.4 times more electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 124.9 times more strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.3 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 United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 12.1 times more CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.