Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
be 62.6% less likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
live 1.8 years less
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
have 14.3% less access to essential health services
Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bhutan scores 60 as of 2021.
be 15.6% more likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 35.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bhutan, that number is 3.2% as of 2025.
make 41.6% more money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
be 21.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nicaragua, approximately 60.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 45.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Nicaragua, approximately 9.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Bhutan, on the other hand, 13.7 children do as of 2024.
have 34.5% fewer children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.3% more likely to have access to electricity
In Nicaragua, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 71% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 48.7% more likely to have internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bhutan, about 91.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 46.7% less on healthcare
Nicaragua spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 2.0 times more on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 78.2% less likely to be murdered
Nicaragua has a homicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 10.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 36.5% less strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 49.5% less home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
Environment
be 50.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.