Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 6.5 years longer

In Ethiopia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Nicaragua, that number is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022.

be 5.3 times more likely to be obese

In Ethiopia, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Nicaragua, that number is 23.7% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.6 times more money

Ethiopia has a GDP per capita of $2,800 as of 2023, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $7,300 as of 2023.

pay a 14.3% lower top tax rate

Ethiopia has a top tax rate of 35.0% as of 2016. In Nicaragua, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2016.

be 37.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Ethiopia, 3.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 4.8% as of 2023.

Life

be 70.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Ethiopia, approximately 267.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Nicaragua, 78.0 women do as of 2020.

be 59.5% more likely to be literate

In Ethiopia, the literacy rate is 51.8% as of 2017. In Nicaragua, it is 82.6% as of 2015.

be 43.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Ethiopia, approximately 33.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Nicaragua, on the other hand, 19.1 children do as of 2022.

have 44.6% fewer children

In Ethiopia, there are approximately 29.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nicaragua, there are 16.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 57.3% more likely to have access to electricity

In Ethiopia, approximately 55% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 43% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Nicaragua, that number is 86% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 66% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 3.4 times more likely to have internet access

In Ethiopia, approximately 17.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Nicaragua, about 57.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 2.5 times more on healthcare

Ethiopia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.6% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: General Directorate of Revenues, The World Factbook, Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority.

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 Ethiopia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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