Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Cameroon, you would:
Health
live 11.1 years longer
In Cameroon, 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 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Cameroon spends $246 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 59.1% more access to essential health services
Cameroon scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
be 50.1% less likely to die by suicide
Cameroon has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Cameroon, 16.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 60.9% more money
Cameroon has a GDP per capita of $1,972 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
be 40.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Cameroon, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 76.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Cameroon, approximately 258.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 13.9% more likely to be literate
In Cameroon, the literacy rate is 72.5% as of 2018. In Nicaragua, it is 82.6% as of 2015.
be 76.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Cameroon, approximately 40.2 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 42.6% fewer children
In Cameroon, there are approximately 33.3 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 22.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Cameroon, approximately 72% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 26% 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% more likely to have internet access
In Cameroon, approximately 46.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 82.4% more on healthcare
Cameroon spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.3 times more coastline
Cameroon has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Safety
be 67.9% more likely to be murdered
Cameroon has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Nicaragua, that number is 11.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 28.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Cameroon, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.7 times more home broadband
Cameroon has 2.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
use 2.8 times more electricity
Cameroon uses 226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Nicaragua uses 641 kWh as of 2023.
live with 42.3% more strain on fresh water
Cameroon withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 62.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cameroon, air pollution causes 101.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Cameroon emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2015), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cameroon vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Cameroon? See an in-depth size comparison.