World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Nicaragua is 17% bigger than the median country
Nicaragua: 130,370 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Nicaragua’s coastline is 2.1 times as long as the median country’s
Nicaragua: 910 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 250 m above Nicaragua’s
Nicaragua: 2,085 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 42% of Nicaragua, versus 38% of the median country
Nicaragua: 42.3% (2023) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 6% more people than Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 7.01 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 69% more densely populated than Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 58 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 3.6 cm taller than in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 169.9 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 4.9 cm taller than in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 155.6 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 5.9 years older than in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 25.3 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nicaragua have 0.3 more children on average than in the median country
Nicaragua: 2.21 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 5.7% in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 5.7% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The median country hosts 18 times as many refugees per resident as Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 0.046 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Nicaragua and the median country are practically level
Nicaragua: 0 (2026) · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Nicaragua and the median country are practically level
Nicaragua: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 2 times the size of Nicaragua’s
Nicaragua: $22.2 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 2.3 times as much per person as Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Int$9,284 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Nicaragua than in the median country (Gini 11.8 points higher)
Nicaragua: 46.2 (2014) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Nicaragua: no data · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
The median country and Nicaragua are practically level
Nicaragua: 5% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country spends 1.8% of its GDP on the military, Nicaragua 0.6%
Nicaragua: 0.6% (2025) · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Nicaragua’s central government collects 20% of GDP in tax, the median country’s 17%
Nicaragua: 20.1% (2024) · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Nicaragua’s
Nicaragua: 34% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 2.2 times as much on health per person as Nicaragua
Nicaragua: $217 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Nicaragua live 0.48 years longer than in the median country
Nicaragua: 75.1 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 35% more likely to die before turning one than in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 9.4 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 2.5 times as many doctors per person as Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 0.7 per 1,000 (2018) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The median country has 2.5 times as many hospital beds per person as Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 1 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the median country is 41% higher than in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 7.1 per 100k (2023) · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
34% of adults in Nicaragua are obese, versus 24% in the median country
Nicaragua: 34% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Nicaragua: no data · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Nicaragua rate their lives 0.47 points higher than in the median country
Nicaragua: 6.30 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 2% more alcohol than in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 4.3 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 55% more meat per person than Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 36.3 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 178 kcal more food per person per day than Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 2,760 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Nicaragua: no data · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Nicaragua and the median country are practically level
Nicaragua: 9.9 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 2.8 times as many tourists per resident as Nicaragua (2019)
Nicaragua: 0.12 (2022) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The median country has 1 more World Heritage site than Nicaragua (3 against 2)
Nicaragua: 2 (2026) · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The median country has won 4 Olympic medals, Nicaragua none
Nicaragua: 0 (2026 edition) · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 61% in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 61% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the median country is 27% faster than in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 126 Mbps (2026) · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 89% in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 88.7% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 59% in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 59% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nicaragua 106
Nicaragua: 106 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Nicaragua: no data · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Nicaragua: no data · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of the median country, but only 26% of Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 25.8% (2023) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 3.7 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: 0.8 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
62% of Nicaragua’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country
Nicaragua: 62.4% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nicaragua carries 23% more fine dust than in the median country
Nicaragua: 20.5 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 5 times as likely to be murdered in Nicaragua as in the median country
Nicaragua: 11.3 per 100k (2021) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nicaragua are 25% deadlier than in the median country
Nicaragua: 23.2 per 100k (2023) · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nicaragua is on average 2.9 °C warmer than the median country
Nicaragua: 25.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nicaragua gets 89% more rain than the median country
Nicaragua: 1,913 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Nicaragua bigger than the median country?
Nicaragua is larger. Nicaragua is 17% bigger than the median country.
Which has more people, Nicaragua or the median country?
The median country has 6% more people than Nicaragua (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Nicaragua or the median country?
People in Nicaragua live 0.48 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 75.1 years in Nicaragua and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Nicaragua or the median country?
Men in the median country are 3.6 cm taller than in Nicaragua (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
