Belize vs El Salvador
Belize is 9% larger than El Salvador.
BelizeEl SalvadorBelize moved onto El Salvador · Equal-area projection
1.09×
Belize is 1.09× the area of El Salvador.
 Belize |  El Salvador | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaBelize: 1.09× the area | 22,966 km²#148 of 194 | 21,041 km²#149 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationEl Salvador: 15.1× the population | 422,924#170 of 194 · 2025 | 6,365,503#112 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityEl Salvador: 16.4× the density | 18 / km²#171 of 194 | 303 / km²#28 of 194 |
| Urban populationEl Salvador: 1.81× the urban share | 42%#146 of 192 · 2025 | 76%#56 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBelize: 1.14× the births per woman | 2.02 per woman#95 of 192 · 2024 | 1.77 per woman#111 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBelize: 0.96 points higher | +1.39%#72 of 192 · 2025 | +0.43%#135 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBelize: 1.16× the birth rate | 18.1 per 1,000#82 of 192 · 2024 | 15.6 per 1,000#98 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateEl Salvador: 1.5× the death rate | 5.0 per 1,000#171 of 192 · 2024 | 7.5 per 1,000#86 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Belize: 1.9 points higher | 26.3%#85 of 192 · 2025 | 24.4%#94 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65El Salvador: 3.1 points higher | 5.2%#120 of 192 · 2025 | 8.3%#92 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBelize: 4.7 per 1,000 higher | +0.9 per 1,000#53 of 192 · 2025 | −3.8 per 1,000#167 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadEl Salvador: 41.2× the refugees for its size | 0.26 per 1,000#93 of 190 · 2025 | 10.71 per 1,000#17 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBelize: 1.4 years longer | 73.7 years#98 of 192 · 2024 | 72.3 years#113 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBelize: 1.23× the infant mortality | 10.8 per 1,000 births#107 of 191 · 2024 | 8.8 per 1,000 births#117 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsEl Salvador: 1.49× the doctors per person | 1.09 per 1,000#106 of 178 · 2018 | 1.62 per 1,000#92 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentEl Salvador: 1.32× the university enrolment | 24.8%#106 of 145 · 2024 | 32.8%#100 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexBelize: 0.043 higher | 0.721#114 of 190 · 2023 | 0.678#130 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBelize: 1.39× the income per person | $7,530#92 of 185 · 2025 | $5,410#111 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPEl Salvador: 11× the economy | $3.33B2025 | $36.71B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Belize: 1.06× the output per person | $14,966#110 of 184 · 2025 | $14,101#113 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthEl Salvador: 1.2 points higher | +2.7%#111 of 187 · 2025 | +3.9%#73 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBelize: 0.8 points higher | +1.1%#138 of 176 · 2025 | +0.3%#156 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBelize: 2.7× the unemployment | 8.9%#43 of 178 · 2025 | 3.3%#127 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyEl Salvador: 4.6× the share in extreme poverty | 1.0%#85 of 149 · 2018 | 4.6%#57 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Belize: 0.1 higher | 39.9#38 of 149 · 2018 | 39.8#40 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureBelize: 2.2 points higher | 16.1% of jobs#88 of 178 · 2025 | 13.9% of jobs#97 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryEl Salvador: 7.8 points higher | 15.3% of jobs#135 of 178 · 2025 | 23.1% of jobs#54 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBelize: 5.5 points higher | 68.5% of jobs#59 of 178 · 2025 | 63.0% of jobs#78 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentEl Salvador: 2.1 points higher | 0.0% of GDP#162 of 184 · 2025 | 2.1% of GDP#89 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBelize: 23.2 points higher | 55.2% of GDP#37 of 168 · 2024 | 32.0% of GDP#93 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingEl Salvador: 1.34× the military spending | 1.0% of GDP#114 of 155 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#95 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBelize: 1.2× the share online | 80%#98 of 184 · 2024 | 67%#126 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsEl Salvador: 2.64× the mobile subscriptions | 67 per 100#166 of 191 · 2022 | 177 per 100#9 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBelize: 1.76× the forest share | 58% of land#31 of 192 · 2024 | 33% of land#95 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personEl Salvador: 1.62× the CO₂ per person | 0.93 t a year#130 of 185 · 2024 | 1.51 t a year#114 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBelize: 8.9 points higher | 30.8%#78 of 190 · 2022 | 21.9%#99 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityBelize: 0.9 points higher | 99.6%#107 of 192 · 2024 | 98.7%#115 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)El Salvador: 1.76× the air pollution | 16.8 µg/m³#101 of 191 · 2023 | 29.6 µg/m³#51 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBelize: 29.0 points higher | 37.3% of land#20 of 191 · 2025 | 8.3% of land#151 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landEl Salvador: 30.2 points higher | 4.6% of land#132 of 190 · 2024 | 34.8% of land#20 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressEl Salvador: 9.31× the water stress | 1.3%#159 of 176 · 2022 | 12.1%#84 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationEl Salvador: 1.05× the rain and snow | 1,705 mm#46 of 180 · 2022 | 1,784 mm#41 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBelize: 0.70 higher | +0.81#48 of 193 · 2025 | +0.11#96 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBelize: 0.41 higher | −0.14#88 of 193 · 2025 | −0.55#124 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateBelize: 3.56× the homicide rate | 28.1 per 100,000#11 of 146 · 2022 | 7.9 per 100,000#35 of 146 · 2022 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary democracy (National Assembly) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Belmopan | San Salvador |
| Currency | Belize dollar (BZD) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | English | Spanish |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−6 | UTC−6 |
| Calling code | +501 | +503 |
| Region | Central America, North America | Central America, North America |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Belize sits at about 17° N and is stretched to 1.1× its true area; El Salvador at 14° N is stretched to 1.06×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Belize bigger than El Salvador?
- Yes. Belize is 9% larger than El Salvador. Belize covers 22,966 km² and El Salvador covers 21,041 km².
- How many times does El Salvador fit into Belize?
- About 1.1 times: Belize has 1.09× the area of El Salvador.
- Why do Belize and El Salvador look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Belize is drawn about 1.1× its true area there and El Salvador about 1.06×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Belize or El Salvador?
- El Salvador: 6,365,503 people against 422,924. Density: Belize 18 per km², El Salvador 303 per km².
- Which is richer, Belize or El Salvador?
- By gross national income per person, Belize: $7,530 against $5,410 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.39× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Belize or El Salvador?
- In Belize: life expectancy at birth is 73.7 years, against 72.3 — 1.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Belize and El Salvador have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Belize: constitutional monarchy; El Salvador: presidential republic.