Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guatemala instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
be 19.8% less likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
see 35.8% more spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guatemala spends $935 as of 2023.
have 87.8% more doctors per person
Nicaragua has 6.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2018. Guatemala has 12.8 as of 2020.
live 2.3 years less
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
have 15.7% less access to essential health services
Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Guatemala scores 59 as of 2021.
be 16.5% more likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guatemala, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 48.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guatemala, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 2.1 times more money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
be 56.7% 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 Guatemala, 94.0 women do as of 2023.
be 83.0% 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 Guatemala, on the other hand, 17.2 children do 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 Guatemala, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 18.1% less on healthcare
Nicaragua spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 56.0% less coastline
Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In Guatemala, that number is 400 km.
Safety
be 2.1 times more likely to be murdered
Nicaragua has a homicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guatemala, that number is 23.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
use 14.4% more electricity
Nicaragua uses 641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Guatemala uses 733 kWh as of 2023.
live with 2.6 times more strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guatemala withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 33.7% more CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. Guatemala
Guatemala: At a glance
How big is Guatemala compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.