Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
be 65.8% less likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In North Korea, that number is 11.9% of people as of 2024.
have 5.3 times more doctors per person
Nicaragua has 6.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2018. North Korea has 36.3 as of 2017.
live 1.4 years less
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In North Korea, that number is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In North Korea, it is 9.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 29.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In North Korea, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 21.1% more likely to be literate
In Nicaragua, the literacy rate is 82.6% as of 2015. In North Korea, it is 100.0% as of 2015.
be 41.5% 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 North Korea, on the other hand, 13.3 children do as of 2024.
have 32.8% fewer children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In North Korea, there are 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Nicaragua, approximately 83% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2020. In North Korea, that number is 94% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 89% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 34.9% less 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 North Korea, that number is 58% of people on average (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.7 times more coastline
Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In North Korea, that number is 2,495 km.
Infrastructure
use 23.1% more electricity
Nicaragua uses 641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. North Korea uses 789 kWh as of 2023.
live with 12.5 times more strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. North Korea withdraws 28% 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 North Korea, it causes 86.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.0 times more CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), The World Factbook (2015–2020), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. North Korea
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.