Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
live 8.5 years longer
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 76.0% less likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 7.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 27.1% more access to essential health services
Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 6.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 46.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 42.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Nicaragua, 24.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
make 11.4 times more money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 93.3% 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 South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 75.5% 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 South Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 75.4% fewer children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 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 South Korea, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 59.4% more likely to have internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 88.5% more on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 2.7 times more coastline
Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 95.8% less likely to be murdered
Nicaragua has a homicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 49.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 8.3 times more home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 17.7 times more electricity
Nicaragua uses 641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 38.4 times more strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 50.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 13.7 times more CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2016), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.