Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
live 7.7 years longer
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 36.4% less likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
see 10.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 27.1% more access to essential health services
Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 28.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
be 64.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Nicaragua, 24.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Iceland, however, that number is 8.8% as of 2017.
make 31.0 times more money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 95.0% 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 Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 77.7% less 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 Iceland, on the other hand, 2.1 children do as of 2024.
have 41.5% fewer children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 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 Iceland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 60.0% more likely to have internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.5 times more on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 5.5 times more coastline
Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 88.6% less likely to be murdered
Nicaragua has a homicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 82.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 6.5 times more home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 82.4% less strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 76.5 times more electricity
Nicaragua uses 641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 78.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.3 times more CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.