Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Iran, you would:
Health
see 10.5% more spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
live 5.5 years less
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 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 30.9% more likely to be obese
In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
have 10.8% fewer doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
be 87.5% more likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 60.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 46.9% more money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
be 14.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Iran, approximately 10.3 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.
have 24.1% more children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iran, approximately 16.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In El Salvador, 39.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 22.1% less likely to have internet access
In Iran, approximately 85.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.7% more on education
Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 54.1% more on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 87.4% less coastline
Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Infrastructure
live with 85.1% less strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 70.2% less electricity
Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 39.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
emit 83.3% less CO2
Iran emits 9.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.