Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Lesotho, you would:
Health
live 17.3 years longer
In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 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 78.6% more spent on your healthcare
Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 32.1% more access to essential health services
Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
be 85.2% less likely to die by suicide
Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 57.1% more likely to be obese
In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 69.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
be 49.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Lesotho, 49.7% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Nicaragua, however, that number is 24.9% as of 2016.
make 2.9 times more money
Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
be 87.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Lesotho, approximately 478.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 83.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Lesotho, approximately 56.3 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 19.4% fewer children
In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 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 54.1% more likely to have access to electricity
In Lesotho, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 45% 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 18.5% more likely to have internet access
In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 56.6% less on education
Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 34.2% less on healthcare
Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 37.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 15.2 times more home broadband
Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
live with 13.6% less strain on fresh water
Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 62.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 93.0% more CO2
Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Lesotho vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.