Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
live 8.6 years longer
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 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 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Zambia spends $244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 25.0% more access to essential health services
Zambia scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
be 40.5% less likely to die by suicide
Zambia has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.0 times more likely to be obese
In Zambia, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 14.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
make 2.4 times more money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
be 29.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Zambia, approximately 85.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 72.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Zambia, approximately 34.6 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 41.5% fewer children
In Zambia, there are approximately 32.7 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 72.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In Zambia, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (90% in urban areas, and 18% 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 3.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 17.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.5% less on education
Zambia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 38.8% more on healthcare
Zambia spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 20.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Zambia, road accidents kill 17.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 7.3 times more home broadband
Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
live with 21.8% less strain on fresh water
Zambia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
use 11.9% less electricity
Zambia uses 727 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Nicaragua uses 641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 24.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Zambia, air pollution causes 50.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 53.7% more CO2
Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zambia vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.