Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
see 22.4% more spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
be 30.0% less likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.7 years less
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 13.7% more likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 39.7% of people 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. Iraq scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
make 70.5% more money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Iraq, the GDP per capita is $5,410 as of 2025.
be 3.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
Life
have 33.6% more children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.1 times 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 Iraq, on the other hand, 20.1 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 Iraq, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 32.7% more likely to have internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iraq, about 81.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.4% less on healthcare
Nicaragua spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 93.6% less coastline
Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
Safety
be 58.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iraq, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.1 times more home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.
use 2.2 times more electricity
Nicaragua uses 641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iraq uses 1,377 kWh as of 2023.
live with 26.8 times more strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iraq, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.2 times more CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.