Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Sri Lanka, you would:
Health
see 35.8% more spent on your healthcare
Sri Lanka spends $507 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
be 71.2% less likely to die by suicide
Sri Lanka has a suicide rate of 14.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.6 years less
In Sri Lanka, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
be 3.1 times more likely to be obese
In Sri Lanka, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 26.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Sri Lanka, 4.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
be 74.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sri Lanka, 14.3% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Nicaragua, however, that number is 24.9% as of 2016.
make 36.6% less money
Sri Lanka has a GDP per capita of $5,002 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
have 89.5% more children
In Sri Lanka, there are approximately 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nicaragua, there are 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sri Lanka, approximately 18.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 80.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Sri Lanka, approximately 5.2 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.
Basic Needs
be 12.5% more likely to have internet access
In Sri Lanka, approximately 54.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
be 11.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Sri Lanka, 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.
Expenditures
spend 56.8% more on education
Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Sri Lanka spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 32.1% less coastline
Sri Lanka has a total of 1,340 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Safety
be 3.4 times more likely to be murdered
Sri Lanka has a homicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, that number is 11.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 18.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Sri Lanka, road accidents kill 11.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 97.6% less strain on fresh water
Sri Lanka withdraws 91% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 31.8% less home broadband
Sri Lanka has 8.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 21.7% less CO2
Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sri Lanka vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Sri Lanka? See an in-depth size comparison.