Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Bhutan, you would:
Health
live 1.8 years longer
In Bhutan, the average life expectancy is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
have 16.7% more access to essential health services
Bhutan scores 60 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
be 13.5% less likely to die by suicide
Bhutan has a suicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In Bhutan, 13.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 56.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Bhutan, 3.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
make 29.4% less money
Bhutan has a GDP per capita of $4,493 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
be 31.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Bhutan, approximately 13.7 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 52.8% more children
In Bhutan, there are approximately 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nicaragua, there are 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 27.7% more likely to die during childbirth
In Bhutan, approximately 47.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 11.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Bhutan, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 32.7% less likely to have internet access
In Bhutan, approximately 91.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 50.9% less on education
Bhutan spends 5.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 87.8% more on healthcare
Bhutan spends 4.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 4.6 times more likely to be murdered
Bhutan has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Nicaragua, that number is 11.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 11.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Bhutan, road accidents kill 12.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.9% more home broadband
Bhutan has 2.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
live with 57.4% more strain on fresh water
Bhutan withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 33.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Bhutan, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 58.7% less CO2
Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Bhutan vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Bhutan? See an in-depth size comparison.