Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
live 5.9 years longer
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 15.7% more access to essential health services
Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 90.1% more likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 6.3 times more money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 35.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 60.0% 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 Costa Rica, 24.0 women do as of 2023.
have 47.8% fewer children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 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 Costa Rica, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 42.0% more likely to have internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.2% less on healthcare
Nicaragua spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 85.0% more on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 41.8% more coastline
Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 56.4% more likely to be murdered
Nicaragua has a homicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 14.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.0 times more home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 3.6 times more electricity
Nicaragua uses 641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
live with 2.6 times more strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 60.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 96.4% more CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.