Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
Health
be 17.7% less likely to be obese
In Puerto Rico, 42.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
be 21.8% less likely to die by suicide
Puerto Rico has a suicide rate of 5.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.8 years less
In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 15.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
make 92.2% less money
Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $40,620 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.4 times more children
In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nicaragua, there are 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Puerto Rico, approximately 11.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 55.6% more likely to die during infancy
In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Nicaragua, on the other hand, 9.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Puerto Rico, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 29.7% less likely to have internet access
In Puerto Rico, approximately 87.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 32.8% less on education
Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 81.6% more coastline
Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Safety
be 22.2% less likely to be murdered
Puerto Rico has a homicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 11.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 88.6% less strain on fresh water
Puerto Rico withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 79.3% less home broadband
Puerto Rico has 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 82.8% less CO2
Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Puerto Rico vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.