Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
be 66.8% less likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
live 8.6 years less
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
see 64.6% less spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 20.0% less access to essential health services
Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
be 68.2% more likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 17.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
make 58.5% less money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
have 71.0% more children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 41.7% more 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 Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.7 times 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 Zambia, on the other hand, 34.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 42.1% 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 Zambia, that number is 51% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 18% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 72.1% less likely to have internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 28.0% less on healthcare
Nicaragua spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 41.8% more on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Zambia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 25.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 13.5% more electricity
Nicaragua uses 641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Zambia uses 727 kWh as of 2023.
find 86.3% less home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 27.9% more strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 34.9% less CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 31.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zambia, it causes 50.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.