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

Health

be 20.7% less likely to die by suicide

Romania has a suicide rate of 9.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 4.2 years less

In Romania, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 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.

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see 55.0% less spent on your healthcare

Romania spends $2,614 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 55.4% fewer doctors per person

Romania has 36.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.

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Economy

be 44.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Romania, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.

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be 47.8% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Romania, 18.4% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.

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make 74.4% less money

Romania has a GDP per capita of $22,538 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.1 times more children

In Romania, there are approximately 7.5 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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be 3.2 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Romania, approximately 12.0 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 46.7% more likely to die during infancy

In Romania, approximately 6.0 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.

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Basic Needs

be 27.2% less likely to have internet access

In Romania, approximately 91.3% 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 62.7% more on healthcare

Romania spends 5.7% 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 36.4% more coastline

Romania has a total of 225 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.

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Safety

be 7.1 times more likely to be murdered

Romania has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.

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be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Romania, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 65.2% less home broadband

Romania has 35.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.

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live with 58.5% more strain on fresh water

Romania withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.

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use 56.0% less electricity

Romania uses 2,585 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 32.6% less likely to die from air pollution

In Romania, air pollution causes 46.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.

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emit 59.4% less CO2

Romania emits 3.7 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 (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), 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 Romania? See an in-depth size comparison.

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