Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Vanuatu, you would:
Health
see 8.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 66.0% more access to essential health services
Vanuatu scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. El Salvador scores 78 as of 2021.
be 51.5% less likely to die by suicide
Vanuatu has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 42.5% more likely to be obese
In Vanuatu, 22.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 34.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Vanuatu, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 42.8% more money
Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
be 71.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Vanuatu, 15.9% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.
Life
be 61.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Vanuatu, approximately 100.0 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 38.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Vanuatu, approximately 14.4 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 43.6% fewer children
In Vanuatu, there are approximately 27.6 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 59.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Vanuatu, approximately 62% of people have electricity access (88% in urban areas, and 54% 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.
Expenditures
spend 56.5% less on education
Vanuatu spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Vanuatu spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 87.9% less coastline
Vanuatu has a total of 2,528 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 23.9 times more likely to be murdered
Vanuatu has a homicide rate of 0.3 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 72.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Vanuatu, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 10.7 times more home broadband
Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
Environment
be 45.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Vanuatu, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
emit 73.6% more CO2
Vanuatu emits 0.9 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 (2020), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vanuatu vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.