Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 35.9% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 10.5 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 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 44.9% more likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
see 83.0% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 63.0% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
have 12.4% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. El Salvador scores 78 as of 2021.
Economy
make 94.1% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
have 39.3% more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 13.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iceland, approximately 3.0 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 4.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iceland, approximately 2.1 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 32.3% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 54.6% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 93.8% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 6.1 times more likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 58.3% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Iceland, 91% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In El Salvador, that number is 38% as of 2019.
be 9.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 66.8% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
live with 31.0 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 97.7% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 82.3% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.