Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Dominican Republic, you would:
Health
live 1.2 years longer
In Dominican Republic, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 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 13.4% more likely to be obese
In Dominican Republic, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
see 41.1% less spent on your healthcare
Dominican Republic spends $1,169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
Economy
make 71.3% less money
Dominican Republic has a GDP per capita of $11,059 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
be 51.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Dominican Republic, approximately 124.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 66.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Dominican Republic, approximately 27.7 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.
Basic Needs
be 11.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Dominican Republic, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 98% 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 32.5% less likely to have internet access
In Dominican Republic, approximately 91.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 23.7% less on education
Dominican Republic spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 80.4% more on healthcare
Dominican Republic spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 29.3% less coastline
Dominican Republic has a total of 1,288 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Safety
be 50.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Dominican Republic, road accidents kill 27.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 94.4% less strain on fresh water
Dominican Republic withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 48.4% less home broadband
Dominican Republic has 11.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
use 65.7% less electricity
Dominican Republic uses 1,867 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Nicaragua uses 641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 72.2% less CO2
Dominican Republic emits 3.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 40.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Dominican Republic, air pollution causes 27.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Dominican Republic vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Dominican Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.