Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Burundi, you would:
Health
live 11.3 years longer
In Burundi, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 6.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Burundi spends $100 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 70.7% more access to essential health services
Burundi scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
be 44.6% less likely to die by suicide
Burundi has a suicide rate of 7.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 6.7 times more likely to be obese
In Burundi, 5.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 13.6 times more money
Burundi has a GDP per capita of $234 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
be 5.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Burundi, 0.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 84.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Burundi, approximately 392.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 69.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Burundi, approximately 30.5 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 42.4% fewer children
In Burundi, there are approximately 33.2 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 7.6 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Burundi, approximately 12% of people have electricity access (65% in urban areas, and 2% 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 7.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Burundi, approximately 8.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 36.2% less on education
Burundi spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2025. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 10.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Burundi, road accidents kill 12.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 289.0 times more home broadband
Burundi has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
live with 78.2% less strain on fresh water
Burundi withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 46.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Burundi, air pollution causes 71.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 11.9 times more CO2
Burundi emits 0.1 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burundi vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Burundi? See an in-depth size comparison.