Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Nigeria, you would:
Health
be 66.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Nigeria, 1.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2024.
live 17.7 years longer
In Nigeria, the average life expectancy is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 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 4.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Nigeria spends $260 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 4.3 times more doctors per person
Nigeria has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
have 2.1 times more access to essential health services
Nigeria scores 38 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 Nigeria, 13.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
be 52.9% more likely to die by suicide
Nigeria has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 51.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Nigeria, 56.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.
make 4.7 times more money
Nigeria has a GDP per capita of $1,224 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
be 96.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nigeria, approximately 993.0 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 27.5% more likely to be literate
In Nigeria, the literacy rate is 70.4% as of 2024. In El Salvador, it is 89.8% as of 2024.
be 87.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Nigeria, approximately 69.8 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 52.0% fewer children
In Nigeria, there are approximately 32.5 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 60.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Nigeria, approximately 61% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 33% 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 61.3% more likely to have internet access
In Nigeria, approximately 41.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
be 11.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Nigeria, approximately 82% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 67% in rural areas) as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 92% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 80% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.4 times more on education
Nigeria spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 2.2 times more on healthcare
Nigeria spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 64.0% less coastline
Nigeria has a total of 853 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 49.8% less likely to be murdered
Nigeria has a homicide rate of 15.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 52.0% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Nigeria, 79% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In El Salvador, that number is 38% as of 2019.
be 25.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Nigeria, road accidents kill 17.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 155.8 times more home broadband
Nigeria has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
use 7.9 times more electricity
Nigeria uses 144 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
live with 25.0% more strain on fresh water
Nigeria withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
Environment
be 59.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nigeria, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.6 times more CO2
Nigeria emits 0.6 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Nigeria vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Nigeria? See an in-depth size comparison.