Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Mexico, you would:
Health
be 13.9% less likely to be obese
In Mexico, 37.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
live 3.0 years less
In Mexico, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 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 14.1% less spent on your healthcare
Mexico spends $1,368 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 37.6% fewer doctors per person
Mexico has 25.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
Economy
be 23.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Mexico, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 58.5% less money
Mexico has a GDP per capita of $13,889 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
be 27.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Mexico, approximately 12.1 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 20.0% less likely to have internet access
In Mexico, approximately 83.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 18.2% less on education
Mexico 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 68.9% more on healthcare
Mexico spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 96.7% less coastline
Mexico has a total of 9,330 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 68.2% less likely to be murdered
Mexico has a homicide rate of 24.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 79.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Mexico, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 73.1% less strain on fresh water
Mexico withdraws 45% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
find 42.7% less home broadband
Mexico has 21.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
use 57.2% less electricity
Mexico uses 2,658 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 58.5% less CO2
Mexico emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mexico vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Mexico? See an in-depth size comparison.