Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
be 10.8% less likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 10.7 years less
In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 15.4% more likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
see 86.6% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 58.3% fewer doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
Economy
be 28.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 94.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ireland, 14.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.
make 95.6% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
have 56.0% more children
In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 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 Ireland, 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 2.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Ireland, approximately 3.4 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 31.6% less likely to have internet access
In Ireland, approximately 97.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 14.5% more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 35.6% more on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 78.8% less coastline
Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 12.2 times more likely to be murdered
Ireland has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 49.5% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Ireland, 75% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In El Salvador, that number is 38% as of 2019.
be 7.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 61.4% less home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
live with 50.2% more strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 81.9% less electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 75.0% less CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 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: Ireland vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.