Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Moldova, you would:
Health
live 3.8 years longer
In Moldova, the average life expectancy is 71 years (67 years for men, 76 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 70.0% less likely to die by suicide
Moldova has a suicide rate of 14.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 56.6% more likely to be obese
In Moldova, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
see 41.7% less spent on your healthcare
Moldova spends $1,181 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
Economy
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Moldova, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
make 63.2% less money
Moldova has a GDP per capita of $8,622 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
be 37.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Moldova, approximately 15.1 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 80.7% more children
In Moldova, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nicaragua, there are 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Moldova, approximately 19.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 11.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Moldova, 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 20.6% less likely to have internet access
In Moldova, approximately 77.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 56.2% less on education
Moldova spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 23.1% more on healthcare
Moldova spends 6.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 4.5 times more likely to be murdered
Moldova has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 11.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 49.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Moldova, road accidents kill 9.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 82.3% less strain on fresh water
Moldova withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 80.5% less home broadband
Moldova has 29.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
use 73.4% less electricity
Moldova uses 2,412 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 Moldova, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 75.7% less CO2
Moldova emits 3.4 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: Moldova vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Moldova? See an in-depth size comparison.