Nicaragua vs Papua New Guinea: Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required
Nicaragua
38.3%
in 2022
Papua New Guinea
39.5%
in 2022
Nicaragua rank
35th
Papua New Guinea rank
34th
Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required over time
- Nicaragua
- Papua New Guinea
How they compare
Papua New Guinea currently reports 39.5% against 38.3% in Nicaragua, a difference of 1.2%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 14 shared years of data; in 2008 it was Nicaragua ahead.
Nicaragua ranks 35th and Papua New Guinea ranks 34th of 134 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Nicaragua averaged higher in 1 and Papua New Guinea in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nicaragua | Papua New Guinea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 43.6% | 35.2% | 8.4% | Nicaragua |
| 2010s | 39.8% | 39.9% | 0.0% | Papua New Guinea |
| 2020s | 39.5% | 39.9% | 0.4% | Papua New Guinea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required, Nicaragua or Papua New Guinea?
- Papua New Guinea, at 39.5% against 38.3% in Nicaragua as of 2022.
- What is the difference in share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required between Nicaragua and Papua New Guinea?
- 1.2%, with Papua New Guinea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nicaragua and Papua New Guinea?
- 14 years are reported by both, from 2008 to 2022.
- How do Nicaragua and Papua New Guinea rank globally for share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required?
- Nicaragua ranks 35th and Papua New Guinea ranks 34th of 134 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Catastrophic expenditure is defined as direct out-of-pocket payments for surgical and anaesthesia care exceeding 10% of total income.