Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.6 years longer

In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 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 22.0% less likely to be obese

In Iraq, 30.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Nicaragua, that number is 23.7% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 69.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Iraq, 15.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 4.8% as of 2023.

make 42.1% less money

Iraq has a GDP per capita of $12,600 as of 2023, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $7,300 as of 2023.

pay a 100.0% higher top tax rate

Iraq has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Nicaragua, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 64.9% more likely to be literate

In Iraq, the literacy rate is 50.1% as of 2018. In Nicaragua, it is 82.6% as of 2015.

have 30.8% fewer children

In Iraq, there are approximately 23.7 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 16.3% more likely to have internet access

In Iraq, approximately 49.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Nicaragua, about 57.0% do as of 2021.

be 13.5% less likely to have access to electricity

In Iraq, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Nicaragua, 86% of the population do as of 2022.

be 16.2% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Iraq, approximately 99% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Nicaragua, that number is 83% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 68.6% more on healthcare

Iraq spends 5.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 15.7 times more coastline

Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: General Directorate of Revenues, The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance.

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 Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.

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