El Salvador vs Malaysia: Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required
El Salvador
13.3%
in 2022
Malaysia
11.3%
in 2018
El Salvador rank
66th
Malaysia rank
69th
Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required over time
- El Salvador
- Malaysia
How they compare
El Salvador currently reports 13.3% against 11.3% in Malaysia, a difference of 2.0%.
That makes El Salvador's figure about 1.2 times Malaysia's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 16 shared years of data; in 2003 it was El Salvador ahead.
El Salvador ranks 66th and Malaysia ranks 69th of 134 countries.
El Salvador has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | El Salvador | Malaysia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 30.5% | 28.9% | 1.6% | El Salvador |
| 2010s | 19.0% | 16.1% | 3.0% | El Salvador |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required, El Salvador or Malaysia?
- El Salvador, at 13.3% against 11.3% in Malaysia as of 2022.
- What is the difference in share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required between El Salvador and Malaysia?
- 2.0%, with El Salvador ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for El Salvador and Malaysia?
- 16 years are reported by both, from 2003 to 2018.
- How do El Salvador and Malaysia rank globally for share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required?
- El Salvador ranks 66th and Malaysia ranks 69th of 134 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Catastrophic expenditure is defined as direct out-of-pocket payments for surgical and anaesthesia care exceeding 10% of total income.