Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Botswana instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
be 43.3% less likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 19.8% of people as of 2024.
see 90.1% more spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Botswana spends $1,310 as of 2023.
live 5.8 years less
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
have 21.4% less access to essential health services
Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Botswana scores 55 as of 2021.
be 96.9% more likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Botswana, it is 8.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 35.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Nicaragua, 24.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Botswana, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2015.
make 2.5 times more money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Botswana, the GDP per capita is $7,778 as of 2025.
be 4.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Botswana, that number is 24.5% as of 2025.
Life
have 27.3% more children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Botswana, there are 24.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more 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 Botswana, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.4 times 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 Botswana, on the other hand, 32.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.9% less 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 Botswana, that number is 76% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 24.6% less on healthcare
Nicaragua spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 6.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 2.8 times more on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Botswana spends 8.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Safety
be 21.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Botswana, they kill 16.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 28.7% more home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Botswana has 7.4 as of 2024.
use 2.6 times more electricity
Nicaragua uses 641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Botswana uses 1,641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 44.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Botswana, it causes 55.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.3 times more CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. Botswana
Botswana: At a glance
How big is Botswana compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.