Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
live 2.6 years longer
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 78 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 67.9% less likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
see 26.4% less spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
be 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 20.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
be 42.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Nicaragua, 24.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.
make 57.6% more money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
Life
be 70.0% 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 Sri Lanka, 18.0 women do as of 2023.
be 44.7% 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 Sri Lanka, on the other hand, 5.2 children do as of 2024.
have 47.2% fewer children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, there are 10.1 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 Sri Lanka, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 11.1% less likely to have internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 36.2% less on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 55.7% less on healthcare
Nicaragua spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 47.3% more coastline
Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.
Safety
be 70.8% less likely to be murdered
Nicaragua has a homicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 15.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 46.5% more home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
live with 40.9 times more strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 27.7% more CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.