Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Norway, you would:
Health
be 42.2% less likely to die by suicide
Norway has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 10.9 years less
In Norway, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 85 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 59.3% more likely to be obese
In Norway, 20.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
see 87.7% less spent on your healthcare
Norway spends $9,523 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 67.5% fewer doctors per person
Norway has 49.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
have 10.3% less access to essential health services
Norway scores 87 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. El Salvador scores 78 as of 2021.
Economy
be 28.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Norway, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Norway, 12.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.
make 93.9% less money
Norway has a GDP per capita of $94,594 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
have 60.8% more children
In Norway, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 39.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Norway, approximately 1.0 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 4.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Norway, approximately 2.0 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 32.8% less likely to have internet access
In Norway, approximately 99.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 38.9% less on education
Norway spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 98.8% less coastline
Norway has a total of 25,148 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 11.0 times more likely to be murdered
Norway 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 14.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Norway, road accidents kill 1.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 72.4% less home broadband
Norway has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
live with 5.9 times more strain on fresh water
Norway withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 95.2% less electricity
Norway uses 23,673 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 79.0% less CO2
Norway emits 7.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Norway, air pollution causes 8.0 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: Norway vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Norway? See an in-depth size comparison.