Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Rwanda, you would:
Health
live 7.1 years longer
In Rwanda, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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 3.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Rwanda spends $177 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 42.9% more access to essential health services
Rwanda scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
be 51.2% less likely to die by suicide
Rwanda has a suicide rate of 8.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 6.3 times more likely to be obese
In Rwanda, 5.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 55.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Rwanda, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
make 2.8 times more money
Rwanda has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
be 73.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Rwanda, approximately 229.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 68.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Rwanda, approximately 29.4 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 31.8% fewer children
In Rwanda, there are approximately 28.1 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 38.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In Rwanda, approximately 64% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 58% 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 93.7% more likely to have internet access
In Rwanda, approximately 31.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 37.7% less on education
Rwanda spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 61.8% more on healthcare
Rwanda spends 5.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.1 times more likely to be murdered
Rwanda has a homicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Nicaragua, that number is 11.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 17.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Rwanda, road accidents kill 11.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 9.6 times more home broadband
Rwanda has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
live with 89.0% less strain on fresh water
Rwanda withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
use 8.4 times more electricity
Rwanda uses 77 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Nicaragua uses 641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 38.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Rwanda, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.2 times more CO2
Rwanda emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Rwanda vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Rwanda? See an in-depth size comparison.