Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Guinea-Bissau, you would:
Health
live 10.8 years longer
In Guinea-Bissau, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 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 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Guinea-Bissau spends $247 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 89.2% more access to essential health services
Guinea-Bissau scores 37 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
be 44.7% less likely to die by suicide
Guinea-Bissau has a suicide rate of 7.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In Guinea-Bissau, 12.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 2.8 times more money
Guinea-Bissau has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
be 88.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Guinea-Bissau, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 88.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 505.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 77.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 42.1 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 35.3% fewer children
In Guinea-Bissau, there are approximately 29.6 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 2.2 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 40% of people have electricity access (64% in urban areas, and 21% 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 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 29.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.6 times more coastline
Guinea-Bissau has a total of 350 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Safety
be 55.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Guinea-Bissau, road accidents kill 30.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 14.8 times more home broadband
Guinea-Bissau has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
live with 48.0% more strain on fresh water
Guinea-Bissau withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 57.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Guinea-Bissau, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.2 times more CO2
Guinea-Bissau 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: Guinea-Bissau vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Guinea-Bissau? See an in-depth size comparison.