Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
live 2.7 years longer
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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 12.1% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
have 18.6% more access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
see 18.3% less spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
be 42.8% more likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 67.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
make 41.3% less money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
be 53.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Iraq, approximately 20.1 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 25.2% fewer children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 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 11.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Iraq, 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 24.6% less likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 50.1% more on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 15.7 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Safety
be 36.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 96.3% less strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 67.2% less home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
use 53.5% less electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Nicaragua uses 641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 56.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 84.0% less CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 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: Iraq vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.