If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Saint Lucia, you would:

Health

live 2.2 years longer

In Saint Lucia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (69 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.

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be 19.5% less likely to die by suicide

Saint Lucia has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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see 43.9% less spent on your healthcare

Saint Lucia spends $1,228 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.

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have 83.9% fewer doctors per person

Saint Lucia has 42.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Nicaragua has 6.8 as of 2018.

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Economy

be 46.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Saint Lucia, 9.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.

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make 78.5% less money

Saint Lucia has a GDP per capita of $14,746 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.

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Life

be 40.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Saint Lucia, approximately 15.8 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.

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have 70.7% more children

In Saint Lucia, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nicaragua, there are 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 36.4% more likely to die during childbirth

In Saint Lucia, approximately 44.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.

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Basic Needs

be 11.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Saint Lucia, 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.

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Expenditures

spend 25.5% less on education

Saint Lucia spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 75.5% more on healthcare

Saint Lucia spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 5.8 times more coastline

Saint Lucia has a total of 158 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.

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Safety

be 70.9% less likely to be murdered

Saint Lucia has a homicide rate of 39.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 11.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 52.8% more likely to die in a road accident

In Saint Lucia, road accidents kill 8.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 84.5% less strain on fresh water

Saint Lucia withdraws 14% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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find 57.4% less home broadband

Saint Lucia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 51.5% less CO2

Saint Lucia emits 1.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 90.0% more likely to die from air pollution

In Saint Lucia, air pollution causes 20.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Nicaragua: At a glance

Nicaragua is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 119,990 sq km. The Pacific coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony from Panama in the early 16th century. Independence from Spain was declared in 1821 and the country became an independent republic in 1838. Britain occupied the Caribbean Coast in the first half of the 19th century, but gradually ceded control of the region in subsequent decades. Violent opposition to governmental manipulation and corruption spread to all classes by 1978 and resulted in a short-lived civil war that brought the Marxist Sandinista guerrillas to power in 1979. Nicaraguan aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador caused the US to sponsor anti-Sandinista contra guerrillas through much of the 1980s. After losing free and fair elections in 1990, 1996, and 2001, former Sandinista President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra was elected president in 2006 and reelected in 2011. The 2008 municipal elections, 2010 regional elections, 2011 presidential elections, 2012 municipal elections, and 2013 regional elections were marred by widespread irregularities. Nicaragua's infrastructure and economy - hard hit by the earlier civil war and by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 - are slowly being rebuilt, but democratic institutions have been weakened under the ORTEGA administration.
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