Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Peru, you would:
Health
see 22.9% more spent on your healthcare
Peru spends $956 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
live 5.6 years less
In Peru, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 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 10.3% more likely to be obese
In Peru, 29.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
be 5.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Peru has a suicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 35.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Peru, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 40.5% less money
Peru has a GDP per capita of $9,684 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
be 23.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Peru, approximately 51.0 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 20.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Peru, approximately 11.0 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 18.9% less likely to have internet access
In Peru, approximately 82.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 23.9% less on education
Peru spends 4.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 64.7% more on healthcare
Peru spends 5.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 87.3% less coastline
Peru has a total of 2,414 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 69.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Peru, road accidents kill 12.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 2.5 times more strain on fresh water
Peru withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 28.7% less electricity
Peru uses 1,595 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 25.2% less CO2
Peru emits 2.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 19.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Peru, air pollution causes 26.0 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: Peru vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Peru? See an in-depth size comparison.