Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mexico instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
see 98.6% more spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mexico spends $1,368 as of 2023.
be 63.9% more likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mexico, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 47.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mexico, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 4.4 times more money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Mexico, the GDP per capita is $13,889 as of 2025.
Life
be 30.0% 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 Mexico, 42.0 women do as of 2023.
be 28.7% 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 Mexico, on the other hand, 12.1 children do as of 2024.
have 19.2% fewer children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mexico, there are 15.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.9% 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 Mexico, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 35.4% more likely to have internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mexico, about 83.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.7% less on healthcare
Nicaragua spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mexico, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 41.5% more on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mexico spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 10.3 times more coastline
Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In Mexico, that number is 9,330 km.
Safety
be 11.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mexico, they kill 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to be murdered
Nicaragua has a homicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mexico, that number is 24.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 3.8 times more home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mexico has 21.7 as of 2024.
use 4.1 times more electricity
Nicaragua uses 641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Mexico uses 2,658 kWh as of 2024.
live with 20.2 times more strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mexico withdraws 45% as of 2022.
Environment
be 21.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mexico, it causes 30.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.4 times more CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mexico emits 3.6 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. Mexico
Mexico: At a glance
How big is Mexico compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.