Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Colombia instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
live 2.8 years longer
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Colombia, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 28.7% less likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Colombia, that number is 24.9% of people as of 2024.
see 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Colombia spends $1,758 as of 2024.
have 14.3% more access to essential health services
Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Colombia scores 80 as of 2021.
be 17.0% more likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Colombia, it is 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.7 times more money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Colombia, the GDP per capita is $8,562 as of 2025.
be 64.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Colombia, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 11.7% 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 Colombia, on the other hand, 10.5 children do as of 2024.
have 30.8% fewer children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Colombia, there are 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.8% 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 Colombia, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 29.2% more likely to have internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Colombia, about 79.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 83.3% more on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Colombia spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Geography
see 3.5 times more coastline
Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In Colombia, that number is 3,208 km.
Safety
be 2.2 times more likely to be murdered
Nicaragua has a homicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Colombia, that number is 24.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 19.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Colombia, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.0 times more home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Colombia has 17.2 as of 2024.
use 2.4 times more electricity
Nicaragua uses 641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Colombia uses 1,551 kWh as of 2024.
live with 63.5% more strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Colombia withdraws 4% as of 2022.
Environment
be 36.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Colombia, it causes 24.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.2 times more CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Colombia emits 1.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. Colombia
Colombia: At a glance
How big is Colombia compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.