Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ecuador instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
live 2.5 years longer
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Ecuador, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
be 17.1% less likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ecuador, that number is 28.9% of people as of 2024.
see 79.8% more spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ecuador spends $1,238 as of 2023.
have 3.4 times more doctors per person
Nicaragua has 6.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2018. Ecuador has 23.1 as of 2020.
have 10.0% more access to essential health services
Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ecuador scores 77 as of 2021.
be 78.3% more likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ecuador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 34.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ecuador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 2.2 times more money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Ecuador, the GDP per capita is $7,125 as of 2025.
Life
be 16.0% 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 Ecuador, on the other hand, 10.9 children do as of 2024.
have 22.6% fewer children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ecuador, there are 14.8 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 Ecuador, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 96% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 25.7% more likely to have internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ecuador, about 77.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 28.6% more on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Ecuador spends 3.7% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.5 times more coastline
Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In Ecuador, that number is 2,237 km.
Safety
be 4.0 times more likely to be murdered
Nicaragua has a homicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ecuador, that number is 45.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 72.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ecuador, they kill 23.4 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. Ecuador has 17.2 as of 2024.
use 2.6 times more electricity
Nicaragua uses 641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ecuador uses 1,676 kWh as of 2023.
live with 3.1 times more strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ecuador withdraws 7% as of 2022.
Environment
be 39.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ecuador, it causes 23.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.2 times more CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ecuador emits 2.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. Ecuador
Ecuador: At a glance
How big is Ecuador compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.