Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Finland, you would:
Health
be 47.6% less likely to die by suicide
Finland has a suicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 10.0 years less
In Finland, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024.
be 32.9% more likely to be obese
In Finland, 24.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
see 81.7% less spent on your healthcare
Finland spends $6,433 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 55.2% fewer doctors per person
Finland has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
Economy
be 65.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Finland, 9.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Finland, 12.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.
make 89.7% less money
Finland has a GDP per capita of $56,149 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
have 100.0% more children
In Finland, there are approximately 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Finland, approximately 8.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In El Salvador, 39.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Finland, approximately 1.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In El Salvador, on the other hand, 8.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 29.1% less likely to have internet access
In Finland, approximately 93.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 48.0% less on education
Finland spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 11.3% less on healthcare
Finland spends 10.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 75.4% less coastline
Finland has a total of 1,250 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 8.1 times more likely to be murdered
Finland has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 55.8% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Finland, 86% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In El Salvador, that number is 38% as of 2019.
be 5.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Finland, road accidents kill 4.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 65.8% less home broadband
Finland has 36.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
live with 70.0% more strain on fresh water
Finland withdraws 7% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 92.3% less electricity
Finland uses 14,819 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 72.7% less CO2
Finland emits 5.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Finland, air pollution causes 7.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Finland vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Finland? See an in-depth size comparison.