Honduras vs Nicaragua
Nicaragua is 7% larger than Honduras.
HondurasNicaraguaHonduras moved onto Nicaragua · Equal-area projection
0.93×
Honduras is 0.93× the area of Nicaragua. Put the other way, Nicaragua is 1.07× the size of Honduras.
 Honduras |  Nicaragua | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaNicaragua: 1.07× the area | 112,492 km²#101 of 194 | 120,340 km²#97 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationHonduras: 1.57× the population | 11,005,850#87 of 194 · 2025 | 7,007,502#108 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityHonduras: 1.68× the density | 98 / km²#92 of 194 | 58 / km²#127 of 194 |
| Urban populationAbout the same urban share | 59%#111 of 192 · 2025 | 59%#108 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateHonduras: 1.12× the births per woman | 2.48 per woman#75 of 192 · 2024 | 2.21 per woman#86 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthHonduras: 0.34 points higher | +1.65%#60 of 192 · 2025 | +1.31%#76 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateHonduras: 1.13× the birth rate | 21.6 per 1,000#62 of 192 · 2024 | 19.1 per 1,000#77 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateAbout the same death rate | 4.5 per 1,000#182 of 192 · 2024 | 4.6 per 1,000#179 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Honduras: 2.0 points higher | 30.3%#67 of 192 · 2025 | 28.3%#78 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Nicaragua: 1.2 points higher | 4.5%#132 of 192 · 2025 | 5.7%#115 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationHonduras: 0.8 per 1,000 higher | −0.4 per 1,000#95 of 192 · 2025 | −1.2 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadHonduras: 1.7× the refugees for its size | 8.58 per 1,000#21 of 190 · 2025 | 5.04 per 1,000#27 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNicaragua: 2.1 years longer | 73.0 years#104 of 192 · 2024 | 75.1 years#85 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityHonduras: 1.36× the infant mortality | 12.8 per 1,000 births#94 of 191 · 2024 | 9.4 per 1,000 births#113 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsNicaragua: 1.39× the doctors per person | 0.49 per 1,000#129 of 178 · 2020 | 0.68 per 1,000#120 of 178 · 2018 |
| University enrolmentNicaragua: 1.3× the university enrolment | 23.3%#110 of 145 · 2024 | 30.4%#102 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexNicaragua: 0.061 higher | 0.645#136 of 190 · 2023 | 0.706#122 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaHonduras: 1.15× the income per person | $3,270#132 of 185 · 2025 | $2,850#136 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPHonduras: 1.78× the economy | $39.6B2025 | $22.24B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Nicaragua: 1.18× the output per person | $7,871#138 of 184 · 2025 | $9,284#130 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthNicaragua: 1.1 points higher | +3.8%#75 of 187 · 2025 | +4.9%#50 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationHonduras: 2.5 points higher | +4.6%#45 of 176 · 2025 | +2.1%#116 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentAbout the same unemployment | 4.9%#96 of 178 · 2025 | 5.0%#93 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 15.7%#40 of 149 · 2024 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 45.7#13 of 149 · 2024 | — |
| Jobs in agricultureNicaragua: 8.1 points higher | 22.4% of jobs#78 of 178 · 2025 | 30.5% of jobs#59 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryHonduras: 4.7 points higher | 21.6% of jobs#66 of 178 · 2025 | 16.9% of jobs#115 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesHonduras: 3.3 points higher | 55.9% of jobs#96 of 178 · 2025 | 52.6% of jobs#107 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentNicaragua: 4.1 points higher | 2.7% of GDP#71 of 184 · 2025 | 6.8% of GDP#26 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsNicaragua: 6.6 points higher | 35.0% of GDP#85 of 168 · 2025 | 41.6% of GDP#65 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingHonduras: 2.61× the military spending | 1.5% of GDP#89 of 155 · 2025 | 0.6% of GDP#139 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersNicaragua: 1.05× the share online | 59%#137 of 184 · 2024 | 61%#133 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsNicaragua: 1.49× the mobile subscriptions | 71 per 100#157 of 191 · 2024 | 106 per 100#122 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaHonduras: 2.05× the forest share | 53% of land#42 of 192 · 2024 | 26% of land#107 of 192 · 2023 |
| CO₂ per personHonduras: 1.37× the CO₂ per person | 1.14 t a year#125 of 185 · 2024 | 0.83 t a year#134 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNicaragua: 4.5 points higher | 45.9%#54 of 190 · 2021 | 50.4%#47 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityHonduras: 6.8 points higher | 95.5%#130 of 192 · 2024 | 88.7%#142 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Honduras: 1.5× the air pollution | 30.7 µg/m³#48 of 191 · 2023 | 20.4 µg/m³#77 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landHonduras: 1.8 points higher | 23.0% of land#58 of 191 · 2025 | 21.2% of land#77 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNicaragua: 3.4 points higher | 9.1% of land#107 of 190 · 2024 | 12.5% of land#82 of 190 · 2022 |
| Water stressHonduras: 2.09× the water stress | 4.6%#125 of 176 · 2022 | 2.2%#143 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationNicaragua: 1.15× the rain and snow | 1,976 mm#34 of 180 · 2022 | 2,280 mm#22 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNicaragua: 0.43 higher | −0.44#134 of 193 · 2025 | −0.01#105 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionHonduras: 0.13 higher | −1.25#168 of 193 · 2025 | −1.38#178 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateHonduras: 2.78× the homicide rate | 31.4 per 100,000#10 of 146 · 2023 | 11.3 per 100,000#26 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Tegucigalpa | Managua |
| Currency | Honduran lempira (HNL) | Nicaraguan córdoba (NIO) |
| Official languages | Spanish | Spanish |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−6 | UTC−6 |
| Calling code | +504 | +505 |
| Region | Central America, North America | Central America, North America |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Honduras sits at about 15° N and is stretched to 1.07× its true area; Nicaragua at 13° N is stretched to 1.05×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Honduras bigger than Nicaragua?
- No. Honduras is 7% smaller than Nicaragua. Honduras covers 112,492 km² and Nicaragua covers 120,340 km².
- How many times does Honduras fit into Nicaragua?
- About 1.1 times: Nicaragua has 1.07× the area of Honduras.
- Why do Honduras and Nicaragua look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Honduras is drawn about 1.07× its true area there and Nicaragua about 1.05×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Honduras or Nicaragua?
- Honduras: 11,005,850 people against 7,007,502. Density: Honduras 98 per km², Nicaragua 58 per km².
- Which is richer, Honduras or Nicaragua?
- By gross national income per person, Honduras: $3,270 against $2,850 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.15× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Honduras or Nicaragua?
- In Nicaragua: life expectancy at birth is 75.1 years, against 73.0 — 2.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Honduras and Nicaragua have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).