Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
be 82.9% less likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.2 years less
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 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 78.0% less spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 14.6% less access to essential health services
Uruguay scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
Economy
be 33.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
make 87.4% less money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
have 95.3% more children
In Uruguay, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nicaragua, there are 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Uruguay, approximately 15.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 51.6% more likely to die during infancy
In Uruguay, approximately 6.2 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 11.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Uruguay, 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.
be 33.3% less likely to have internet access
In Uruguay, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 39.7% less on education
Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 37.9% more coastline
Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Infrastructure
live with 81.6% less strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 82.5% less home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
use 83.1% less electricity
Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Nicaragua uses 641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 67.7% less CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Uruguay vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.