Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Germany, you would:
Health
be 40.9% less likely to die by suicide
Germany has a suicide rate of 12.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 8.5 years less
In Germany, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 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 55.8% more likely to be obese
In Germany, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
see 86.7% less spent on your healthcare
Germany spends $8,826 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 64.4% fewer doctors per person
Germany has 45.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
have 11.4% less access to essential health services
Germany scores 88 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. El Salvador scores 78 as of 2021.
Economy
be 11.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Germany, 3.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 83.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Germany, 14.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.
make 90.5% less money
Germany has a GDP per capita of $60,496 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
have 92.6% more children
In Germany, there are approximately 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 9.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Germany, approximately 4.0 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 2.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Germany, approximately 3.1 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 28.9% less likely to have internet access
In Germany, approximately 93.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 36.6% less on education
Germany spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 24.3% less on healthcare
Germany spends 12.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 87.1% less coastline
Germany has a total of 2,389 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 8.7 times more likely to be murdered
Germany has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 47.4% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Germany, 72% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2020. In El Salvador, that number is 38% as of 2019.
be 6.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Germany, road accidents kill 3.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 65.8% less strain on fresh water
Germany withdraws 35% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
find 72.7% less home broadband
Germany has 45.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
use 81.4% less electricity
Germany uses 6,109 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 78.2% less CO2
Germany emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Germany, air pollution causes 15.0 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: Germany vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Germany? See an in-depth size comparison.