Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
live 2.8 years longer
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 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 44.4% less likely to die by suicide
El Salvador 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.
see 41.4% less spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 10.3% less access to essential health services
El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
Economy
be 52.7% more likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
make 45.0% less money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
have 22.7% more children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nicaragua, there are 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 53.8% more likely to die during childbirth
In El Salvador, approximately 39.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 10.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In El Salvador, approximately 98% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 97% 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.
Expenditures
spend 13.6% less on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 10.7% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.0 times more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Safety
be 36.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 43.7% more likely to be murdered
El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Nicaragua, that number is 11.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 81.6% less strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 53.6% less home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
use 43.7% less electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Nicaragua uses 641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 45.0% less CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 22.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.