Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
live 7.5 years longer
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 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 5.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 45.8% more access to essential health services
Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
be 44.0% less likely to die by suicide
Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.4 times more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 4.7 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
be 73.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Malawi, approximately 225.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 75.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Malawi, approximately 38.0 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 38.5% fewer children
In Malawi, there are approximately 31.1 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 5.7 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Malawi, approximately 16% of people have electricity access (58% in urban areas, and 6% 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 3.2 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 27.1% more on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 32.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 64.2 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
live with 87.3% less strain on fresh water
Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 11.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.8 times more CO2
Malawi 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malawi vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.