Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
be 69.2% less likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.0 years less
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 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 62.5% less spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 65.4% fewer doctors per person
Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
Economy
be 56.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 57.2% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Uruguay, 17.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.
make 77.1% less money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
have 59.2% more children
In Uruguay, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Uruguay, approximately 15.0 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 41.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Uruguay, approximately 6.2 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 27.7% less likely to have internet access
In Uruguay, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 30.3% less on education
Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 53.5% less coastline
Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 29.8% less likely to be murdered
Uruguay has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 65.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 62.3% less home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
use 70.0% less electricity
Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 41.2% less CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 93.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 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 (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Uruguay vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.