Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 64.4% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 7.7 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 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 57.2% more likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
see 90.1% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 21.3% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
Economy
be 39.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
be 2.8 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Nicaragua, however, that number is 24.9% as of 2016.
make 96.8% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
have 70.9% more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nicaragua, there are 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 20.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iceland, approximately 2.1 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.
Basic Needs
be 11.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Iceland, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 37.5% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 60.7% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 81.7% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Safety
be 8.8 times more likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 11.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 84.6% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
live with 5.7 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
use 98.7% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua uses 641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 90.3% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.