Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zimbabwe instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
be 57.9% less likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.
live 12.0 years less
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2024.
see 85.0% less spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zimbabwe spends $103 as of 2023.
have 21.4% less access to essential health services
Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zimbabwe scores 55 as of 2021.
be 4.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 17.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 84.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.3% as of 2025.
be 53.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Nicaragua, 24.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Zimbabwe, however, that number is 38.3% as of 2019.
Life
have 56.2% more children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.0 times 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 Zimbabwe, 358.0 women do as of 2023.
be 6.6 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 Zimbabwe, on the other hand, 62.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 29.8% 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 62% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 51% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 32.2% less likely to have internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, about 41.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 86.8% less on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 64.7% less on healthcare
Nicaragua spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 40.4% less likely to be murdered
Nicaragua has a homicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, that number is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 66.4% less home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zimbabwe has 1.9 as of 2024.
live with 20.8 times more strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zimbabwe withdraws 46% as of 2022.
use 21.4% less electricity
Nicaragua uses 641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Zimbabwe uses 504 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 47.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zimbabwe, it causes 56.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: At a glance
How big is Zimbabwe compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.