Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
live 9.0 years longer
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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 7.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 52.2% more access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
be 11.9% less likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 22.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
make 3.5 times more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
be 83.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gambia, approximately 354.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 71.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Gambia, approximately 32.7 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.
have 35.9% fewer children
In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 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 32.0% more likely to have access to electricity
In Gambia, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 35% 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 24.1% more likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.9 times more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 11.4 times more coastline
Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Safety
be 38.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 11.1 times more home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
Environment
be 57.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.6 times more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Gambia vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.