Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
live 8.8 years longer
In Papua New Guinea, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 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 5.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 2.3 times more access to essential health services
Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
be 24.7% more likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Papua New Guinea has a suicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 96.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 68.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 189.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 70.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 31.3 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 21.2% fewer children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 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 4.3 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 20% of people have electricity access (65% in urban areas, and 13% 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 3.3 times more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.7 times more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.9 times more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 82.3% less coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Infrastructure
find 25.1 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
live with 17.1 times more strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 59.6% more CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.