Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Italy, you would:
Health
live 11.7 years less
In Italy, the average life expectancy is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 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 2.3 times more likely to be obese
In Italy, 14.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
see 76.5% less spent on your healthcare
Italy spends $4,993 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 61.4% fewer doctors per person
Italy has 41.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
Economy
be 48.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Italy, 6.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 35.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Italy, 20.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.
make 86.7% less money
Italy has a GDP per capita of $43,309 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.5 times more children
In Italy, there are approximately 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Italy, approximately 6.0 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 3.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Italy, approximately 2.3 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.
Basic Needs
be 25.5% less likely to have internet access
In Italy, approximately 89.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 18.4% less on education
Italy spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 10.1% more on healthcare
Italy spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 96.0% less coastline
Italy has a total of 7,600 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 13.9 times more likely to be murdered
Italy has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 37.5% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Italy, 61% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2016. In El Salvador, that number is 38% as of 2019.
be 4.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Italy, road accidents kill 5.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 59.4% less strain on fresh water
Italy withdraws 30% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
find 60.8% less home broadband
Italy has 31.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
use 77.9% less electricity
Italy uses 5,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 70.3% less CO2
Italy emits 5.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Italy, air pollution causes 15.0 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 (2016–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Italy vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Italy? See an in-depth size comparison.