Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 8.5 years longer
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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.
see 18.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 9.4 times more doctors per person
Madagascar has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
have 2.2 times more access to essential health services
Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. El Salvador scores 78 as of 2021.
be 7.1 times more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
be 25.3% more likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 63.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Madagascar, 75.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.
make 9.6 times more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
be 91.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Madagascar, approximately 445.0 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 20.2% more likely to be literate
In Madagascar, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 89.8% as of 2024.
be 79.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Madagascar, approximately 43.0 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 50.8% fewer children
In Madagascar, there are approximately 31.7 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 2.5 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Madagascar, approximately 39% of people have electricity access (76% in urban areas, and 15% in rural areas) as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
be 65.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Madagascar, approximately 55% of people have access to drinking water (78% in urban areas, and 39% in rural areas) as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 92% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 80% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.7 times more on healthcare
Madagascar spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 93.6% less coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Infrastructure
find 103.8 times more home broadband
Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
use 14.2 times more electricity
Madagascar uses 80 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 46.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Madagascar, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.1 times more CO2
Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Madagascar vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.