If you lived in El Salvador instead of Burkina Faso, you would:

Health

live 11.9 years longer

In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 63 years (62 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2022. In El Salvador, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2022.

be 4.4 times more likely to be obese

In Burkina Faso, 5.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In El Salvador, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 4.3 times more money

Burkina Faso has a GDP per capita of $2,200 as of 2022, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $9,400 as of 2022.

be 40.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Burkina Faso, 5.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In El Salvador, that number is 3.0% as of 2022.

be 35.7% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Burkina Faso, 41.4% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In El Salvador, however, that number is 26.6% as of 2022.

Life

be 83.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Burkina Faso, approximately 264.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In El Salvador, 43.0 women do as of 2020.

be 93.7% more likely to be literate

In Burkina Faso, the literacy rate is 46.0% as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 89.1% as of 2019.

be 75.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Burkina Faso, approximately 49.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In El Salvador, on the other hand, 12.1 children do as of 2022.

have 46.4% fewer children

In Burkina Faso, there are approximately 31.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 5.2 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Burkina Faso, approximately 19% of people have electricity access (68% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2021. In El Salvador, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2021.

be 2.9 times more likely to have internet access

In Burkina Faso, approximately 22.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In El Salvador, about 63.0% do as of 2021.

be 25.1% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Burkina Faso, approximately 78% of people have improved drinking water access (95% in urban areas, and 71% in rural areas) as of 2020. In El Salvador, that number is 98% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 25.5% less on education

Burkina Faso spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. El Salvador spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 47.8% more on healthcare

Burkina Faso spends 6.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In El Salvador, that number is 9.9% of GDP as of 2020.


The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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 Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.

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