Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
live 1.4 years longer
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
be 54.5% less likely to die by suicide
North Korea has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to be obese
In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
have 81.2% fewer doctors per person
North Korea has 36.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2017. Nicaragua has 6.8 as of 2018.
Economy
be 42.4% more likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 29.3% less likely to die during infancy
In North Korea, approximately 13.3 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 48.8% more children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nicaragua, there are 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 17.4% less likely to be literate
In North Korea, the literacy rate is 100.0% as of 2015. In Nicaragua, it is 82.6% as of 2015.
Basic Needs
be 53.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In North Korea, approximately 58% of people have electricity access (36% in urban areas, and 11% 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 11.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In North Korea, approximately 94% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 89% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 83% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Geography
see 63.5% less coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Infrastructure
live with 92.0% less strain on fresh water
North Korea withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
use 18.8% less electricity
North Korea uses 789 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Nicaragua uses 641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 55.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 66.8% less CO2
North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), The World Factbook (2015–2020), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: North Korea vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.