Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Benin, you would:
Health
live 14.1 years longer
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
see 5.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 84.2% more access to essential health services
Benin scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
be 40.4% less likely to die by suicide
Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to be obese
In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 91.4% more money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
be 3.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 88.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Benin, approximately 518.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 79.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Benin, approximately 45.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Nicaragua, on the other hand, 9.4 children do as of 2024.
have 42.7% fewer children
In Benin, there are approximately 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nicaragua, there are 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 54.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In Benin, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (70% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 88% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 71% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 80.7% more likely to have internet access
In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.1% less on education
Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.5 times more on healthcare
Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 7.5 times more coastline
Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Safety
be 45.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 20.6 times more home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
use 5.6 times more electricity
Benin uses 115 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Nicaragua uses 641 kWh as of 2023.
live with 2.3 times more strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 50.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 69.4% more CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Benin vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.