Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
be 44.9% less likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 11.8 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 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 83.7% more likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
see 84.9% less spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 63.3% fewer doctors per person
Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
Economy
be 62.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 68.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.
make 90.9% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
have 67.7% more children
In Sweden, there are approximately 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 9.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sweden, approximately 4.0 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 4.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sweden, approximately 2.0 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 30.6% less likely to have internet access
In Sweden, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 54.6% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 17.2% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 90.5% less coastline
Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 6.9 times more likely to be murdered
Sweden 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.
be 48.1% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Sweden, 73% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In El Salvador, that number is 38% as of 2019.
be 10.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 69.3% less home broadband
Sweden has 40.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
live with 3.4 times more strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 90.7% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 57.7% less CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sweden vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.