Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Colombia, you would:
Health
be 14.5% less likely to die by suicide
Colombia has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.8 years less
In Colombia, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
be 40.2% more likely to be obese
In Colombia, 24.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
see 60.8% less spent on your healthcare
Colombia spends $1,758 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 12.5% less access to essential health services
Colombia scores 80 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
Economy
be 39.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Colombia, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
make 62.9% less money
Colombia has a GDP per capita of $8,562 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
be 10.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Colombia, approximately 10.5 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 44.5% more children
In Colombia, there are approximately 13.2 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 10.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Colombia, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 95% 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 22.6% less likely to have internet access
In Colombia, approximately 79.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 45.4% less on education
Colombia spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 71.6% less coastline
Colombia has a total of 3,208 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Safety
be 54.4% less likely to be murdered
Colombia has a homicide rate of 24.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 11.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 16.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Colombia, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 38.8% less strain on fresh water
Colombia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 66.4% less home broadband
Colombia has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
use 58.7% less electricity
Colombia uses 1,551 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua uses 641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 53.9% less CO2
Colombia emits 1.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 58.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Colombia, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Colombia vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Colombia? See an in-depth size comparison.