Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 2.2 years longer

In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 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 19.1% less likely to be obese

In Iraq, 30.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In El Salvador, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 80.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Iraq, 15.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In El Salvador, that number is 3.0% as of 2022.

be 15.7% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iraq, 23.0% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In El Salvador, however, that number is 26.6% as of 2022.

pay a 100.0% higher top tax rate

Iraq has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In El Salvador, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 43.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Iraq, approximately 76.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In El Salvador, 43.0 women do as of 2020.

be 77.8% more likely to be literate

In Iraq, the literacy rate is 50.1% as of 2018. In El Salvador, it is 89.1% as of 2019.

be 38.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Iraq, approximately 19.6 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 27.8% fewer children

In Iraq, there are approximately 23.7 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 28.6% more likely to have internet access

In Iraq, approximately 49.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In El Salvador, about 63.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 12.8% less on education

Iraq spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2016. El Salvador spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 94.1% more on healthcare

Iraq spends 5.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In El Salvador, that number is 9.9% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 5.3 times more coastline

Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance.

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 Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.

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