If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, you would:

Health

live 3.7 years longer

In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the average life expectancy is 71 years (69 years for men, 74 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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see 24.1% less spent on your healthcare

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines spends $908 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.

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be 10.3 times more likely to die by suicide

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a suicide rate of 0.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 72.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 18.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.

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make 74.7% less money

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a GDP per capita of $12,562 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.

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Life

have 60.0% more children

In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, there are approximately 12.0 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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Basic Needs

be 11.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 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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be 19.4% less likely to have internet access

In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, approximately 76.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.

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be 14.9% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2018. In Nicaragua, that number is 83% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2020.

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Expenditures

spend 55.6% less on education

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines spends 6.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 86.9% more on healthcare

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines spends 4.4% 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 10.8 times more coastline

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a total of 84 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.

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Safety

be 77.9% less likely to be murdered

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a homicide rate of 51.3 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 2.8 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, road accidents kill 4.8 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 71.9% less strain on fresh water

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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find 80.4% less home broadband

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has 29.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 36.6% less CO2

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 52.0% more likely to die from air pollution

In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, air pollution causes 25.0 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 (2020). 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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