Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Malta, you would:
Health
be 34.5% less likely to die by suicide
Malta has a suicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 7.9 years less
In Malta, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 14.0% more likely to be obese
In Malta, 30.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
see 87.9% less spent on your healthcare
Malta spends $5,706 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 17.6% less access to essential health services
Malta scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
Economy
be 73.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Malta, 2.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
make 93.4% less money
Malta has a GDP per capita of $47,907 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.5 times more children
In Malta, there are approximately 7.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nicaragua, there are 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 7.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Malta, approximately 8.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 100.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Malta, approximately 4.7 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.
Basic Needs
be 11.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Malta, 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 34.6% less likely to have internet access
In Malta, approximately 93.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 39.1% less on education
Malta spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.6 times more coastline
Malta has a total of 197 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Safety
be 20.3 times more likely to be murdered
Malta has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 11.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 7.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Malta, road accidents kill 1.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 96.9% less strain on fresh water
Malta withdraws 73% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 87.0% less home broadband
Malta has 44.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
use 87.2% less electricity
Malta uses 5,013 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Nicaragua uses 641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 73.9% less CO2
Malta emits 3.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 81.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malta, air pollution causes 21.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malta vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Malta? See an in-depth size comparison.