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

Health

see 9.6 times more spent on your healthcare

Syria spends $122 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 21.9% more access to essential health services

Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. El Salvador scores 78 as of 2021.

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be 12.9 times more likely to die by suicide

Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 75.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.

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make 5.5 times more money

Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.

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Life

be 50.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Syria, approximately 17.7 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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be 95.0% more likely to die during childbirth

In Syria, approximately 20.0 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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have 32.6% fewer children

In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 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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Basic Needs

be 11.2% more likely to have access to electricity

In Syria, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 73% 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.

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be 42.7% more likely to have internet access

In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 3.4 times more on healthcare

Syria spends 2.7% 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 59.1% more coastline

Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.

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Safety

be 28.1% less likely to die in a road accident

In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 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 81.6% more home broadband

Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.

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live with 90.3% less strain on fresh water

Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.

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use 33.1% more electricity

Syria uses 854 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 62.7% less likely to die from air pollution

In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.

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emit 18.9% more CO2

Syria emits 1.3 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 (2022). 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 Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.

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