World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
El Salvador fits inside the median country 5.3 times.
El Salvador: 21,040 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The median country’s coastline is 43% longer than El Salvador’s.
El Salvador: 307 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
El Salvador’s highest peak towers 395 m above the median country’s.
El Salvador: 2,730 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 16% more people than El Salvador.
El Salvador: 6.37 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
El Salvador is 3.1 times as densely populated as the median country.
El Salvador: 307 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 2.8 cm taller than in El Salvador.
El Salvador: 170.7 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 4.2 cm taller than in El Salvador.
El Salvador: 156.4 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 4.2 years older than in El Salvador.
El Salvador: 27 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.1 more children on average than in El Salvador.
El Salvador: 1.77 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
The median country and El Salvador are practically level.
El Salvador: 8.3% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
El Salvador and the median country are practically level.
El Salvador: 0 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
El Salvador and the median country are practically level.
El Salvador: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 24% larger than El Salvador’s.
El Salvador: $36.7 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 49% more per person than El Salvador.
El Salvador: Int$14,101 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in El Salvador than in the median country (Gini 5.4 points higher).
El Salvador: 39.8 (2023) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 3.3% in El Salvador.
El Salvador: 3.3% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country and El Salvador are practically level.
El Salvador: 1.2% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× El Salvador’s.
El Salvador: 41% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
El Salvador spends 6% more on health per person than the median country.
El Salvador: $501 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 2.3 years longer than in El Salvador.
El Salvador: 72.3 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 44% more likely to die before turning one than in El Salvador.
El Salvador: 8.8 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 4% more doctors per person than El Salvador.
El Salvador: 1.6 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in El Salvador are obese, versus 24% in the median country.
El Salvador: 31.4% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 8.2% in El Salvador.
El Salvador: 8.2% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in El Salvador rate their lives 0.74 points higher than in the median country.
El Salvador: 6.58 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 20% more alcohol than in El Salvador.
El Salvador: 3.6 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 23% more meat per person than El Salvador.
El Salvador: 45.6 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 41 kcal more food per person per day than El Salvador.
El Salvador: 2,896 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
El Salvador: no data · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 2.6 years longer than in El Salvador.
El Salvador: 7.3 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
El Salvador welcomed 46% more tourists per resident than the median country (2019).
El Salvador: 0.5 (2024) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 66% in El Salvador.
El Salvador: 66% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 99% in El Salvador.
El Salvador: 98.7% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
76% of people in El Salvador live in cities, versus 64% in the median country.
El Salvador: 76% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
El Salvador has 177 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115.
El Salvador: 177 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The median country’s railway network is 171 times as long as El Salvador’s.
El Salvador: 13 km (2014) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from El Salvador fly 2.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from the median country.
El Salvador: 0.51 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of the median country, but only 28% of El Salvador.
El Salvador: 27.5% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 2.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in El Salvador.
El Salvador: 1.4 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
87% of El Salvador’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
El Salvador: 86.5% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in El Salvador carries 85% more fine dust than in the median country.
El Salvador: 30.7 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.5 times as likely to be murdered in El Salvador as in the median country.
El Salvador: 7.9 per 100k (2022) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in El Salvador are 75% deadlier than in the median country.
El Salvador: 21.5 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
El Salvador is on average 3.8 °C warmer than the median country.
El Salvador: 26.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
El Salvador gets 57% more rain than the median country.
El Salvador: 1,593 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is El Salvador bigger than the median country?
The median country is larger. El Salvador fits inside the median country 5.3 times.
Which has more people, El Salvador or the median country?
The median country has 16% more people than El Salvador (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, El Salvador or the median country?
People in the median country live 2.3 years longer than in El Salvador. Life expectancy at birth is 72.3 years in El Salvador and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in El Salvador or the median country?
Men in the median country are 2.8 cm taller than in El Salvador (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
