Life in El Salvador: Every Number That Shapes It (1800–2100)
Updated September 2026 · methodology
A child born in El Salvador in the 2020s can expect to live 75 years on an average income of 14,500 international dollars. (UN WPP / World Bank, compiled by MYRIAD)
To look at El Salvador through the lens of data is to witness a fundamental shift in the texture of a human life. The daily reality has migrated from the quiet of the countryside to the hum of the city, as the percentage of people living in cities climbed from 41 to 81 %. This is a world where electricity at home moved from 40 to 97 % and internet access now touches 68 % of the population, replacing isolation with global connectivity.
The trajectory since the 1950s reveals a nation expanding its human potential. In that era, life expectancy at birth was 51 years, child mortality was 180 per 1,000 births, and individuals averaged 3 years of schooling. Today, those markers have shifted to 75 years, 16 per 1,000 births, and 9 years of schooling. While the homicide rate remains at 20 per 100,000, the crushing weight of extreme poverty has fallen from 30 to 4.5 %.
For a child born in the 2020s, the birth lottery offers a vastly different horizon. They can expect to live 75 years on an average income of 14,500 international dollars, reflecting a rise from the 4,000 intl-$ of decades past. With children per woman dropping from 5.9 to 2 and annual working hours decreasing to 1,950 hours/year, the structure of the family and the day has been rewritten. You can now see exactly where these numbers place a life.
Use our tools to see your parallel life in El Salvador.
🇸🇻 Every dimension below links to the full three-century series for El Salvador — and to the same series for every other country, so you can see exactly where the birth lottery placed its people.
The numbers today vs 1950
| Dimension | 1950s | 2020s | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy at Birth | 51 | 75 years | history → |
| Income per Person (GDP per capita, PPP) | 4,000 | 14,500 intl-$ | history → |
| Child Mortality (under 5) | 180 | 16 per 1,000 births | history → |
| Years of Schooling | 3 | 9 years | history → |
| Children per Woman | 5.9 | 2 births | history → |
| Living in Cities | 41 | 81 % | history → |
| Internet Access | 0 | 68 % | history → |
| Electricity at Home | 40 | 97 % | history → |
| Homicide Rate | 22 | 20 per 100,000 | history → |
| Annual Working Hours | 2,300 | 1,950 hours/year | history → |
| Average Male Height | 165 | 171 cm | history → |
| Extreme Poverty | 30 | 4.5 % | history → |
See your parallel life in El Salvador →
Questions people ask
What is life expectancy in El Salvador?
75 years in the 2020s (UN WPP / World Bank data compiled by MYRIAD).
Is El Salvador a good place to be born, statistically?
MYRIAD ranks every country by a composite of longevity, income, child survival, education and safety for each birth decade — enter your details on the homepage to see where El Salvador lands for your cohort.