Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Ecuador, you would:
Health
be 43.9% less likely to die by suicide
Ecuador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.5 years less
In Ecuador, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 80 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 20.6% more likely to be obese
In Ecuador, 28.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
see 44.4% less spent on your healthcare
Ecuador spends $1,238 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 70.5% fewer doctors per person
Ecuador has 23.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Nicaragua has 6.8 as of 2018.
Economy
be 52.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Ecuador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
make 55.5% less money
Ecuador has a GDP per capita of $7,125 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
be 13.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Ecuador, approximately 10.9 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 29.1% more children
In Ecuador, there are approximately 14.8 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 Ecuador, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 96% 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 20.4% less likely to have internet access
In Ecuador, approximately 77.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 22.2% less on education
Ecuador spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 59.3% less coastline
Ecuador has a total of 2,237 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Safety
be 75.2% less likely to be murdered
Ecuador has a homicide rate of 45.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 11.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 41.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ecuador, road accidents kill 23.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 67.3% less strain on fresh water
Ecuador withdraws 7% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 66.5% less home broadband
Ecuador has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
use 61.8% less electricity
Ecuador uses 1,676 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Nicaragua uses 641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 68.6% less CO2
Ecuador emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 65.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Ecuador, air pollution causes 23.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ecuador vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Ecuador? See an in-depth size comparison.