Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Vanuatu, you would:
Health
live 3.4 years longer
In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 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.
see 4.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 4.2 times more doctors per person
Vanuatu has 1.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Nicaragua has 6.8 as of 2018.
have 48.9% more access to essential health services
Vanuatu scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
be 73.0% less likely to die by suicide
Vanuatu has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 54.6% more likely to be obese
In Vanuatu, 22.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 21.4% less money
Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
be 40.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Vanuatu, approximately 100.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 34.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Vanuatu, approximately 14.4 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.
have 30.8% fewer children
In Vanuatu, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nicaragua, there are 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 43.3% more likely to have access to electricity
In Vanuatu, approximately 62% of people have electricity access (88% in urban areas, and 54% 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 12.1% less likely to have internet access
In Vanuatu, approximately 69.9% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 62.4% less on education
Vanuatu spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.0 times more on healthcare
Vanuatu spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 64.0% less coastline
Vanuatu has a total of 2,528 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Safety
be 34.4 times more likely to be murdered
Vanuatu has a homicide rate of 0.3 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Nicaragua, that number is 11.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 5.0 times more home broadband
Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
Environment
be 33.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Vanuatu, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Vanuatu vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.