Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Mali, you would:
Health
live 14.4 years longer
In Mali, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 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 6.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Mali spends $104 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 70.7% more access to essential health services
Mali scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In Mali, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 2.7 times more money
Mali has a GDP per capita of $1,193 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
be 78.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Mali, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 83.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mali, approximately 367.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 80.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Mali, approximately 47.5 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 51.6% fewer children
In Mali, there are approximately 39.5 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 62.0% more likely to have access to electricity
In Mali, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (92% in urban areas, and 23% 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 66.8% more likely to have internet access
In Mali, approximately 36.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 31.3% less on education
Mali spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.2 times more on healthcare
Mali spends 3.8% 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 Mali, 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 7.5 times more home broadband
Mali has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
live with 72.2% less strain on fresh water
Mali withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 41.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mali, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.8 times more CO2
Mali emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mali vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Mali? See an in-depth size comparison.