Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Sierra Leone, you would:
Health
be 71.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sierra Leone, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2024.
live 10.3 years longer
In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 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.
see 7.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 12.1 times more doctors per person
Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
have 90.2% more access to essential health services
Sierra Leone scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. El Salvador scores 78 as of 2021.
be 3.9 times more likely to be obese
In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
be 24.3% more likely to die by suicide
Sierra Leone has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 6.8 times more money
Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
be 89.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Sierra Leone, approximately 354.0 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 84.7% more likely to be literate
In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In El Salvador, it is 89.8% as of 2024.
be 83.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Sierra Leone, approximately 54.6 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.
have 48.2% fewer children
In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.8 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Sierra Leone, approximately 36% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 19% in rural areas) as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
be 34.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Sierra Leone, approximately 68% of people have access to drinking water (82% in urban areas, and 57% in rural areas) as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 92% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 80% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 26.7% more on education
Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 96.8% more on healthcare
Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 23.6% less coastline
Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 3.6 times more likely to be murdered
Sierra Leone has a homicide rate of 2.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 55.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 24.2 times more strain on fresh water
Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
Environment
be 68.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Sierra Leone, air pollution causes 97.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
emit 8.9 times more CO2
Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sierra Leone vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.