Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
see 70.7% more spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 11.4% more access to essential health services
Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. El Salvador scores 78 as of 2021.
live 2.8 years less
In Nicaragua, 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.
be 80.0% more likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua 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 34.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 81.7% more money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
be 35.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nicaragua, approximately 60.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In El Salvador, 39.0 women do as of 2023.
have 18.5% fewer children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 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 11.3% more likely to have access to electricity
In Nicaragua, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 71% 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.
Expenditures
spend 15.7% more on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 11.9% more on healthcare
Nicaragua spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 66.3% less coastline
Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 30.4% less likely to be murdered
Nicaragua has a homicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 58.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.2 times more home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
use 77.5% more electricity
Nicaragua uses 641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
live with 5.4 times more strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
Environment
be 18.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
emit 81.9% more CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.