Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 2.5 years less

In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022. In Mexico, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.

be 21.9% more likely to be obese

In Nicaragua, 23.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Mexico, that number is 28.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 3.5 times more money

Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $5,800 as of 2022, while in Mexico, the GDP per capita is $20,300 as of 2022.

be 34.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Nicaragua, 5.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Mexico, that number is 3.3% as of 2022.

be 45.8% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Nicaragua, 24.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Mexico, however, that number is 36.3% as of 2022.

pay a 16.7% higher top tax rate

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

Life

be 24.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Nicaragua, approximately 78.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Mexico, 59.0 women do as of 2020.

be 15.3% more likely to be literate

In Nicaragua, the literacy rate is 82.6% as of 2015. In Mexico, it is 95.2% as of 2020.

be 37.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Nicaragua, approximately 19.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Mexico, on the other hand, 11.9 children do as of 2022.

have 12.8% fewer children

In Nicaragua, there are approximately 16.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mexico, there are 14.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 16.0% more likely to have access to electricity

In Nicaragua, approximately 86% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Mexico, 100% of the population do as of 2021.

be 33.3% more likely to have internet access

In Nicaragua, approximately 57.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Mexico, about 76.0% do as of 2021.

be 19.8% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

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

Expenditures

spend 27.9% less on healthcare

Nicaragua spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Mexico, that number is 6.2% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 10.3 times more coastline

Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In Mexico, that number is 9,330 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: General Directorate of Revenues, The World Factbook, Servicio de Administración Tributaria, SHCP.

Mexico: At a glance

Mexico is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 1,943,945 sq km. The site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations - including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec - Mexico was conquered and colonized by Spain in the early 16th century. Administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain for three centuries, it achieved its independence early in the 19th century. The global financial crisis beginning in late 2008 caused a massive economic downturn the following year, although growth returned quickly in 2010. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely indigenous population in the impoverished southern states. The elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON, but Enrique PENA NIETO regained the presidency for the PRI in 2012. Since 2007, Mexico's powerful drug-trafficking organizations have engaged in bloody feuding, resulting in tens of thousands of drug-related homicides.
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How big is Mexico compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.

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