Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Nigeria, you would:
Health
live 20.5 years longer
In Nigeria, the average life expectancy is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Nigeria spends $260 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 84.2% more access to essential health services
Nigeria scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
be 15.0% less likely to die by suicide
Nigeria has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In Nigeria, 13.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 2.6 times more money
Nigeria has a GDP per capita of $1,224 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
be 64.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Nigeria, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 94.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nigeria, approximately 993.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 86.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Nigeria, approximately 69.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Nicaragua, on the other hand, 9.4 children do as of 2024.
have 41.1% fewer children
In Nigeria, there are approximately 32.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nicaragua, there are 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 44.3% more likely to have access to electricity
In Nigeria, approximately 61% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 33% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 88% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 71% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 49.0% more likely to have internet access
In Nigeria, approximately 41.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 9.0 times more on education
Nigeria spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 98.1% more on healthcare
Nigeria spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 27.9% less likely to be murdered
Nigeria has a homicide rate of 15.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 11.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 20.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Nigeria, road accidents kill 17.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 72.2 times more home broadband
Nigeria has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
live with 77.0% less strain on fresh water
Nigeria withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
use 4.4 times more electricity
Nigeria uses 144 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Nicaragua uses 641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 50.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nigeria, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 45.6% more CO2
Nigeria emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Nigeria vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Nigeria? See an in-depth size comparison.