If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Swaziland, you would:

Health

live 10.8 years longer

In Swaziland, the average life expectancy is 64 years (61 years for men, 67 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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have 25.0% more access to essential health services

Swaziland scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.

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be 84.4% less likely to die by suicide

Swaziland has a suicide rate of 27.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 17.9% more likely to be obese

In Swaziland, 29.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.

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see 25.3% less spent on your healthcare

Swaziland spends $922 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.

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Economy

be 85.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Swaziland, 34.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.

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make 22.8% less money

Swaziland has a GDP per capita of $4,108 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.

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Life

be 49.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Swaziland, approximately 118.0 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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be 77.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Swaziland, approximately 42.2 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.

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have 19.1% fewer children

In Swaziland, there are approximately 23.6 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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Expenditures

spend 52.4% less on education

Swaziland spends 6.0% 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 10.7% more on healthcare

Swaziland spends 7.5% 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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Safety

be 44.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In Swaziland, road accidents kill 24.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 2.3 times more home broadband

Swaziland has 2.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.

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live with 97.1% less strain on fresh water

Swaziland withdraws 78% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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use 46.6% less electricity

Swaziland uses 1,200 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Nicaragua uses 641 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 42.4% less likely to die from air pollution

In Swaziland, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). 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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How big is Nicaragua compared to Swaziland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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