If you lived in El Salvador instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:

Health

be 19.8% less likely to be obese

In Saudi Arabia, 40.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 6.7 years less

In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 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 66.2% less spent on your healthcare

Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 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 52.6% fewer doctors per person

Saudi Arabia has 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.

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be 8.0 times more likely to die by suicide

Saudi Arabia has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 83.3% less money

Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.

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Life

be 5.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 7.0 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 87.2% more likely to die during infancy

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 4.7 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 33.5% less likely to have internet access

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 100.0% 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 25.9% less on education

Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 63.3% more on healthcare

Saudi Arabia 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 88.4% less coastline

Saudi Arabia has a total of 2,640 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.

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Safety

be 8.4 times more likely to be murdered

Saudi Arabia has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.

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be 16.2% more likely to die in a road accident

In Saudi Arabia, road accidents kill 18.5 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

live with 98.8% less strain on fresh water

Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.

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find 71.7% less home broadband

Saudi Arabia has 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.

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use 90.5% less electricity

Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 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 65.9% less likely to die from air pollution

In Saudi Arabia, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.

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emit 91.8% less CO2

Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 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 (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), 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 Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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