Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vietnam instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
live 2.4 years longer
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Vietnam, that number is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
be 92.5% less likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vietnam, that number is 2.4% of people as of 2024.
see 41.3% less spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vietnam spends $690 as of 2023.
have 31.5% fewer doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Vietnam has 11.1 as of 2021.
have 12.8% less access to essential health services
El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vietnam scores 68 as of 2021.
Economy
be 53.9% less likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vietnam, that number is 1.5% as of 2025.
be 84.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In El Salvador, 27.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Vietnam, however, that number is 4.2% as of 2022.
make 12.2% less money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Vietnam, the GDP per capita is $5,066 as of 2025.
Life
be 23.1% 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 Vietnam, 48.0 women do as of 2023.
be 36.4% 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 Vietnam, on the other hand, 12.0 children do as of 2024.
have 14.0% fewer children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vietnam, there are 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 26.6% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Vietnam, about 84.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.0% less on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Vietnam spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 50.9% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vietnam, that number is 4.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 11.2 times more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Vietnam, that number is 3,444 km.
Safety
be 17.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vietnam, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 90.3% more home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vietnam has 23.7 as of 2024.
use 2.3 times more electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Vietnam uses 2,585 kWh as of 2023.
live with 50.0% more strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Vietnam withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 67.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vietnam, it causes 52.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.8 times more CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. Vietnam
Vietnam: At a glance
How big is Vietnam compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.