If you lived in El Salvador instead of Palau, you would:

Health

live 2.9 years longer

In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 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.

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be 20.6% less likely to be obese

In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.

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have 20.0% more access to essential health services

Palau scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. El Salvador scores 78 as of 2021.

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see 36.7% less spent on your healthcare

Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.

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have 10.6% fewer doctors per person

Palau has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.

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Economy

make 70.5% less money

Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.

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Life

be 56.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Palau, approximately 89.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In El Salvador, 39.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 52.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Palau, approximately 18.6 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.

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have 45.9% more children

In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 20.8% less likely to have internet access

In Palau, approximately 83.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 14.4% less on healthcare

Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 79.8% less coastline

Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.

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Infrastructure

find 70.0% more home broadband

Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 98.2% less CO2

Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2023–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

El Salvador: At a glance

El Salvador is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 20,721 sq km. El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war, which cost about 75,000 lives, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms.
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How big is El Salvador compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.

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