Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
be 33.7% less likely to die by suicide
Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.7 years less
In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 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.
be 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
see 85.7% less spent on your healthcare
Netherlands spends $8,195 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 58.3% fewer doctors per person
Netherlands has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
Economy
be 14.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Netherlands, 3.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 87.6% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Netherlands, 14.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.
make 92.2% less money
Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
have 69.6% more children
In Netherlands, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 9.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Netherlands, approximately 4.0 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 2.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Netherlands, approximately 3.4 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 31.5% less likely to have internet access
In Netherlands, approximately 97.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.9% less on education
Netherlands spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 31.9% less coastline
Netherlands has a total of 451 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 11.4 times more likely to be murdered
Netherlands has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 6.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 27.4% less strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
find 71.0% less home broadband
Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
use 82.2% less electricity
Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 77.1% less CO2
Netherlands emits 6.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Netherlands, air pollution causes 13.0 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: Netherlands vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.