Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Mali, you would:
Health
live 11.6 years longer
In Mali, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 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 11.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Mali spends $104 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 8.6 times more doctors per person
Mali has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
have 90.2% more access to essential health services
Mali scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. El Salvador scores 78 as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to be obese
In Mali, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
be 83.4% more likely to die by suicide
Mali has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 40.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Mali, 45.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.
make 4.8 times more money
Mali has a GDP per capita of $1,193 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
be 16.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Mali, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 89.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mali, approximately 367.0 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 2.5 times more likely to be literate
In Mali, the literacy rate is 35.6% as of 2024. In El Salvador, it is 89.8% as of 2024.
be 81.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Mali, approximately 47.5 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 60.5% fewer children
In Mali, there are approximately 39.5 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 80.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In Mali, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (92% in urban areas, and 23% 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 80.7% more likely to have internet access
In Mali, approximately 36.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 20.6% less on education
Mali spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Mali spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 16.2 times more home broadband
Mali has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
live with 51.1% more strain on fresh water
Mali withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
Environment
be 52.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mali, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.0 times more CO2
Mali emits 0.3 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mali vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Mali? See an in-depth size comparison.