If you lived in El Salvador instead of Maldives, you would:

Health

have 27.9% more access to essential health services

Maldives scores 61 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. El Salvador scores 78 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

live 9.0 years less

In Maldives, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 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.

View global rankings →

be 80.1% more likely to be obese

In Maldives, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 48.6% less spent on your healthcare

Maldives spends $2,288 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 5.2 times more likely to die by suicide

Maldives has a suicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 26.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Maldives, 4.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 60.5% less money

Maldives has a GDP per capita of $14,615 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 47.3% more children

In Maldives, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 21.9% more likely to die during childbirth

In Maldives, approximately 32.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In El Salvador, 39.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 87.2% more likely to die during infancy

In Maldives, approximately 4.7 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.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 22.0% less likely to have internet access

In Maldives, approximately 85.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 35.8% less on education

Maldives spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 52.3% less coastline

Maldives has a total of 644 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 12.7 times more likely to be murdered

Maldives has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 16.5 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Maldives, road accidents kill 1.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 22.8% less strain on fresh water

Maldives withdraws 16% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

find 36.6% less home broadband

Maldives has 19.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 57.7% less CO2

Maldives emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

El Salvador: At a glance

El Salvador is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 20,721 sq km. El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war, which cost about 75,000 lives, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms.
Read more

How big is El Salvador compared to Maldives? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about El Salvador or Maldives. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.