Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Hong Kong, you would:
Health
live 13.1 years less
In Hong Kong, the average life expectancy is 85 years (83 years for men, 88 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.
Economy
be 17.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Hong Kong, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 89.9% less money
Hong Kong has a GDP per capita of $56,983 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.2 times more children
In Hong Kong, there are approximately 4.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Hong Kong, approximately 2.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In El Salvador, on the other hand, 8.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 30.6% less likely to have internet access
In Hong Kong, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 12.9% less on education
Hong Kong spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 58.1% less coastline
Hong Kong has a total of 733 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 20.8 times more likely to be murdered
Hong Kong has a homicide rate of 0.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
Infrastructure
find 69.1% less home broadband
Hong Kong has 40.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
use 82.1% less electricity
Hong Kong uses 6,359 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 67.2% less CO2
Hong Kong emits 4.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Hong Kong vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Hong Kong? See an in-depth size comparison.