Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
El Salvador fits inside Guatemala 5.2 times.
El Salvador: 21,040 km² (2023) · Guatemala: 108,890 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Guatemala’s coastline is 30% longer than El Salvador’s.
El Salvador: 307 km (2026 edition) · Guatemala: 400 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Guatemala’s highest peak towers 1,490 m above El Salvador’s.
El Salvador: 2,730 m (2026 edition) · Guatemala: 4,220 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Guatemala has 2.9 times as many people as El Salvador.
El Salvador: 6.37 million (2025) · Guatemala: 18.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
El Salvador is 76% more densely populated than Guatemala.
El Salvador: 307 per km² (2025) · Guatemala: 174 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in El Salvador are 6.3 cm taller than in Guatemala.
El Salvador: 170.7 cm (2019) · Guatemala: 164.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in El Salvador are 5.5 cm taller than in Guatemala.
El Salvador: 156.4 cm (2019) · Guatemala: 150.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in El Salvador is 4.3 years older than in Guatemala.
El Salvador: 27 years (2023) · Guatemala: 22.6 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Guatemala have 0.5 more children on average than in El Salvador.
El Salvador: 1.77 children per woman (2024) · Guatemala: 2.29 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.3% of people in El Salvador are 65 or older, versus 5.0% in Guatemala.
El Salvador: 8.3% (2025) · Guatemala: 5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Guatemala has produced 1.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, El Salvador 0.0.
El Salvador: 0 (2025) · Guatemala: 1.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
El Salvador and Guatemala are practically level.
El Salvador: 1 (2026) · Guatemala: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Guatemala’s economy is 3.4 times the size of El Salvador’s.
El Salvador: $36.7 billion (2025) · Guatemala: $123 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Guatemala produces 8% more per person than El Salvador.
El Salvador: Int$14,101 (2025) · Guatemala: Int$15,197 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Guatemala than in El Salvador (Gini 5.4 points higher).
El Salvador: 39.8 (2023) · Guatemala: 45.2 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.3% in El Salvador, versus 2.6% in Guatemala.
El Salvador: 3.3% (2025) · Guatemala: 2.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
El Salvador spends 1.2% of its GDP on the military, Guatemala 0.4%.
El Salvador: 1.2% (2024) · Guatemala: 0.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Guatemala’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× El Salvador’s.
El Salvador: 41% (2025) · Guatemala: 43% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
El Salvador spends 28% more on health per person than Guatemala.
El Salvador: $501 (2023) · Guatemala: $392 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Guatemala live 0.44 years longer than in El Salvador.
El Salvador: 72.3 years (2024) · Guatemala: 72.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Guatemala is 2 times as likely to die before turning one as in El Salvador.
El Salvador: 8.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Guatemala: 17.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
El Salvador has 26% more doctors per person than Guatemala.
El Salvador: 1.6 per 1,000 (2023) · Guatemala: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in El Salvador are obese, versus 27% in Guatemala.
El Salvador: 31.4% (2024) · Guatemala: 26.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
11% of adults in Guatemala smoke, versus 8.2% in El Salvador.
El Salvador: 8.2% (2024) · Guatemala: 11.2% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in El Salvador rate their lives 0.04 points higher than in Guatemala.
El Salvador: 6.58 (2025) · Guatemala: 6.53 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in El Salvador drink 19% more alcohol than in Guatemala.
El Salvador: 3.6 litres (2023) · Guatemala: 3.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Guatemala has 19% more meat per person than El Salvador.
El Salvador: 45.6 kg (2023) · Guatemala: 54.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
El Salvador has 73 kcal more food per person per day than Guatemala.
El Salvador: 2,896 kcal (2023) · Guatemala: 2,823 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
El Salvador: no data · Guatemala: 2,151 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in El Salvador went to school 1.5 years longer than in Guatemala.
El Salvador: 7.3 years (2023) · Guatemala: 5.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
El Salvador welcomed 6 times as many tourists per resident as Guatemala (2019).
El Salvador: 0.5 (2024) · Guatemala: 0.08 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
66% of people in El Salvador are online, versus 60% in Guatemala.
El Salvador: 66% (2024) · Guatemala: 60% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
99% of people in El Salvador have electricity, versus 91% in Guatemala.
El Salvador: 98.7% (2024) · Guatemala: 90.9% (2024)
How many live in cities?
76% of people in El Salvador live in cities, versus 56% in Guatemala.
El Salvador: 76% (2025) · Guatemala: 56% (2025)
How many phones per person?
El Salvador has 177 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Guatemala 113.
El Salvador: 177 (2024) · Guatemala: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Guatemala’s railway network is 64 times as long as El Salvador’s.
El Salvador: 13 km (2014) · Guatemala: 800 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from El Salvador fly 43 times as many passengers per resident as those from Guatemala.
El Salvador: 0.51 (2023) · Guatemala: 0.01 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of Guatemala, but only 28% of El Salvador.
El Salvador: 27.5% (2023) · Guatemala: 32.6% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in El Salvador emits 31% more CO₂ than someone in Guatemala.
El Salvador: 1.4 t (2024) · Guatemala: 1.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
87% of El Salvador’s electricity is renewable, versus 68% in Guatemala.
El Salvador: 86.5% (2025) · Guatemala: 68.3% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in El Salvador carries 11% more fine dust than in Guatemala.
El Salvador: 30.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Guatemala: 27.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3 times as likely to be murdered in Guatemala as in El Salvador.
El Salvador: 7.9 per 100k (2022) · Guatemala: 23.4 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in El Salvador are 71% deadlier than in Guatemala.
El Salvador: 21.5 per 100k (2021) · Guatemala: 12.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
El Salvador is on average 3.0 °C warmer than Guatemala.
El Salvador: 26.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Guatemala: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Guatemala gets 14% more rain than El Salvador.
El Salvador: 1,593 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Guatemala: 1,811 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is El Salvador bigger than Guatemala?
Guatemala is larger. El Salvador fits inside Guatemala 5.2 times.
Which has more people, El Salvador or Guatemala?
Guatemala has 2.9 times as many people as El Salvador (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, El Salvador or Guatemala?
People in Guatemala live 0.44 years longer than in El Salvador. Life expectancy at birth is 72.3 years in El Salvador and 72.7 in Guatemala.
Are people taller in El Salvador or Guatemala?
Men in El Salvador are 6.3 cm taller than in Guatemala (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
