Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 11.3 years longer
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 11.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 100.0% more access to essential health services
Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
be 30.4% less likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 7.7 times more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 5.3 times more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
be 65.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 86.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Madagascar, approximately 445.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 78.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Madagascar, approximately 43.0 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 39.6% fewer children
In Madagascar, there are approximately 31.7 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 Madagascar, approximately 39% of people have electricity access (76% in urban areas, and 15% 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 3.3 times more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Madagascar spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 81.2% less coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Safety
be 39.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Madagascar, road accidents kill 22.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 48.2 times more home broadband
Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
live with 80.3% less strain on fresh water
Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
use 8.0 times more electricity
Madagascar uses 80 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Nicaragua uses 641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 34.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Madagascar, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.5 times more CO2
Madagascar emits 0.1 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: Madagascar vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.