Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
live 6.8 years longer
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
be 21.5% more likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
be 27.8% more likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 12.8 times more money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.
be 18.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 81.7% 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 Puerto Rico, 11.0 women do as of 2023.
be 35.7% 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 Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.
have 70.2% fewer children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 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 Puerto Rico, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 42.2% more likely to have internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, about 87.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 48.8% more on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 44.9% less coastline
Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.
Safety
be 28.5% more likely to be murdered
Nicaragua has a homicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, that number is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 4.8 times more home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.
live with 8.8 times more strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 5.8 times more CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.