Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Japan, you would:
Health
be 56.2% less likely to die by suicide
Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 11.7 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 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 5.5 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
see 78.1% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 39.0% fewer doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
Economy
be 34.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 84.0% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.7 times more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 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 Japan, 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 4.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.8 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 22.3% less likely to have internet access
In Japan, approximately 85.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.5% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.0% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 34.3 times more likely to be murdered
Japan has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 54.6% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Japan, 83% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In El Salvador, that number is 38% as of 2019.
be 8.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 67.0% less strain on fresh water
Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
find 67.7% less home broadband
Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
use 84.9% less electricity
Japan uses 7,530 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 80.7% less CO2
Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 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: Japan vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.