Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
be 19.0% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
see 39.5% more spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 58.1% more doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
have 32.2% more access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. El Salvador scores 78 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 78.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 55.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iraq, 17.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.
Life
be 40.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Iraq, approximately 66.0 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 56.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Iraq, approximately 20.1 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.
have 39.0% fewer children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 18.4% less likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 68.0% more on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.3 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Infrastructure
live with 79.7% less strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
find 29.3% less home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
use 17.5% less electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 64.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
emit 70.8% less CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.