Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
live 6.9 years longer
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 8.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 21.4% more access to essential health services
Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. New Zealand scores 85 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 New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 15.6 times more money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
Life
be 88.3% 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 New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 57.4% 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 New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.
have 42.4% fewer children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 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 New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 52.3% more likely to have internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 81.5% more on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 21.2% more on healthcare
Nicaragua spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 16.6 times more coastline
Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 87.1% less likely to be murdered
Nicaragua has a homicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 51.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 6.6 times more home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
use 12.5 times more electricity
Nicaragua uses 641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.
live with 3.6 times more strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
be 68.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 7.2 times more CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 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. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.