Nicaragua vs North Korea
North Korea and Nicaragua are almost exactly the same size.
NicaraguaNorth KoreaNicaragua moved onto North Korea · Equal-area projection
1.0×
Nicaragua is 1.0× the area of North Korea. Put the other way, North Korea is 1.0× the size of Nicaragua.
 Nicaragua |  North Korea | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 120,340 km²#97 of 194 | 120,540 km²#96 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNorth Korea: 3.79× the population | 7,007,502#108 of 194 · 2025 | 26,571,036#56 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNorth Korea: 3.79× the density | 58 / km²#127 of 194 | 220 / km²#45 of 194 |
| Urban populationNorth Korea: 1.08× the urban share | 59%#108 of 192 · 2025 | 64%#91 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateNicaragua: 1.24× the births per woman | 2.21 per woman#86 of 192 · 2024 | 1.78 per woman#110 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthNicaragua: 1.04 points higher | +1.31%#76 of 192 · 2025 | +0.27%#145 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateNicaragua: 1.48× the birth rate | 19.1 per 1,000#77 of 192 · 2024 | 12.9 per 1,000#106 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateNorth Korea: 2.15× the death rate | 4.6 per 1,000#179 of 192 · 2024 | 9.9 per 1,000#37 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Nicaragua: 9.4 points higher | 28.3%#78 of 192 · 2025 | 18.9%#122 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65North Korea: 7.0 points higher | 5.7%#115 of 192 · 2025 | 12.7%#64 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNorth Korea: 1.1 per 1,000 higher | −1.2 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2025 | −0.1 per 1,000#78 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadNicaragua: 504× the refugees for its size | 5.04 per 1,000#27 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNicaragua: 1.4 years longer | 75.1 years#85 of 192 · 2024 | 73.7 years#98 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityNorth Korea: 1.41× the infant mortality | 9.4 per 1,000 births#113 of 191 · 2024 | 13.3 per 1,000 births#92 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | 0.68 per 1,000#120 of 178 · 2018 | — |
| University enrolment | 30.4%#102 of 145 · 2023 | — |
| Human Development Index | 0.706#122 of 190 · 2023 | — |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | $2,850#136 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDP | $22.24B2025 | — |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $9,284#130 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growth | +4.9%#50 of 187 · 2025 | — |
| Inflation | +2.1%#116 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| UnemploymentNicaragua: 1.43× the unemployment | 5.0%#93 of 178 · 2025 | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in agricultureNorth Korea: 23.6 points higher | 30.5% of jobs#59 of 178 · 2025 | 54.1% of jobs#20 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNorth Korea: 5.5 points higher | 16.9% of jobs#115 of 178 · 2025 | 22.4% of jobs#62 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNicaragua: 29.1 points higher | 52.6% of jobs#107 of 178 · 2025 | 23.5% of jobs#172 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investment | 6.8% of GDP#26 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Exports | 41.6% of GDP#65 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spending | 0.6% of GDP#139 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 61%#133 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptionsNicaragua: 4.42× the mobile subscriptions | 106 per 100#122 of 191 · 2024 | 24 per 100#190 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaNorth Korea: 2.48× the forest share | 26% of land#107 of 192 · 2023 | 64% of land#20 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personNorth Korea: 3.01× the CO₂ per person | 0.83 t a year#134 of 185 · 2024 | 2.50 t a year#94 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNicaragua: 35.7 points higher | 50.4%#47 of 190 · 2021 | 14.7%#124 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityNicaragua: 27.3 points higher | 88.7%#142 of 192 · 2024 | 61.4%#162 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)North Korea: 1.07× the air pollution | 20.4 µg/m³#77 of 191 · 2023 | 21.8 µg/m³#73 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNicaragua: 18.8 points higher | 21.2% of land#77 of 191 · 2025 | 2.4% of land#178 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNorth Korea: 6.6 points higher | 12.5% of land#82 of 190 · 2022 | 19.1% of land#56 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNorth Korea: 12.6× the water stress | 2.2%#143 of 176 · 2022 | 27.7%#59 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationNicaragua: 2.16× the rain and snow | 2,280 mm#22 of 180 · 2022 | 1,054 mm#88 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNorth Korea: 0.09 higher | −0.01#105 of 193 · 2025 | +0.08#100 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionNicaragua: 0.17 higher | −1.38#178 of 193 · 2025 | −1.55#186 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 11.3 per 100,000#26 of 146 · 2021 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | One-party statedictatorship, single-party communist state |
| Capital | Managua | Pyongyang |
| Currency | Nicaraguan córdoba (NIO) | North Korean won (KPW) |
| Official languages | Spanish | Korean, North Korean standard language |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−6 | UTC+9 |
| Calling code | +505 | +850 |
| Region | Central America, North America | Eastern Asia, Asia |
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. Nicaragua sits at about 13° N and is stretched to 1.05× its true area; North Korea at 40° N is stretched to 1.71×. That difference is why North Korea looks so much bigger than it is next to Nicaragua. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Nicaragua bigger than North Korea?
- No. Nicaragua and North Korea are almost exactly the same size. Nicaragua covers 120,340 km² and North Korea covers 120,540 km².
- How many times does Nicaragua fit into North Korea?
- About 1.0 times: North Korea has 1.0× the area of Nicaragua.
- Why do Nicaragua and North Korea look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Nicaragua is drawn about 1.05× its true area there and North Korea about 1.71×. That is why North Korea looks so much bigger than it really is next to Nicaragua. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Nicaragua or North Korea?
- North Korea: 26,571,036 people against 7,007,502. Density: Nicaragua 58 per km², North Korea 220 per km².
- Where do people live longer, Nicaragua or North Korea?
- In Nicaragua: life expectancy at birth is 75.1 years, against 73.7 — 1.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Nicaragua and North Korea have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Nicaragua: presidential republic; North Korea: one-party state.