Human Development & Quality of Life in Nicaragua
HDI 0.706 · UNDP rank 123 · latest published data
The headline development measure for Nicaragua is HDI 0.706 in 2023, corresponding to UNDP rank 123 and the high human development band. The aggregate hides useful detail: The income component uses GNI per capita of $6,881 in 2021 PPP dollars. The profile also records that the inequality adjustment is one of the most consequential parts of this profile: IHDI falls to 0.535, a 24.2% loss.
What sits inside Nicaragua's HDI
For the 2023 development snapshot, Nicaragua's health, education and income inputs are 74.9 life expectancy, 11.5 expected schooling, 9.9 mean schooling and $6,881 GNI per capita in 2021 PPP terms. They belong to the HDI calculation rather than separate DigifyWorld scores.
Inequality changes the headline
The inequality-adjusted measure for Nicaragua applies a distribution penalty to the same three HDI dimensions. It should therefore be read alongside HDI, not as a separate life-satisfaction score.
Gender and planetary-pressure adjustments
Alongside the headline HDI, the published data for Nicaragua include GDI 0.952, GII 0.408, PHDI 0.668. Their scopes differ, which is why the page presents them side by side rather than blending them.
Quality-of-life coverage is conditional
A comparable life-satisfaction observation was not available in the OECD extract used for Nicaragua. No value is inferred when the underlying source does not publish one.
What Nicaragua's numbers say together
For this profile, the complementary evidence for Nicaragua includes IHDI 0.535 with a 24.2% loss; PHDI 0.668 after a 5.4% adjustment; GDI 0.952. They complement one another, but none is treated as a substitute for another.
HDI for Nicaragua stands at 0.706 in 2023, with UNDP rank 123. It is a development benchmark based on three dimensions, not an all-purpose national score.
The IHDI is 0.535, and UNDP reports an overall loss of 24.2% relative to the headline index.
The GDI value is 0.952 in group 2; it should be read alongside, not merged into, HDI.
The PHDI is 0.668, with a 5.4% adjustment from the HDI value in UNDP's 2023 table.
Frequently asked questions
What is Nicaragua's HDI?
For the 2023 observation year, UNDP reports HDI 0.706 and rank 123 for Nicaragua.
How does inequality affect Nicaragua's HDI?
UNDP reports IHDI 0.535 for Nicaragua, which is 24.2% below the headline HDI after inequality across the three dimensions is taken into account.
Why is there no life satisfaction score on this page?
This profile does not fill the quality-of-life section for Nicaragua simply to complete the layout. No proxy is inserted for a value the source does not report.
Is HDI the same as quality of life?
No. UNDP's HDI focuses on longevity, education and income. Life satisfaction remains distinct from the health, education and income dimensions used by HDI.
Sources & methodology
Sources for the development indicators and definitions shown above.
View sources used for this page
Primary source for 2023 HDI and its components, plus IHDI, GDI, GII and PHDI where reported.
Report edition underlying the 2023 human-development indices and ranking.
Data note: Reference years are shown with each indicator; unavailable observations remain unfilled.