Nicaragua
Capital: ManaguaRegion: Latin America & Caribbean Income: Lower middle income
Nicaragua's GDP is $21.86B (2026), with a population of 6.9M, and GDP per capita of $3,084. Key indicators include real GDP growth of 2.9%, inflation at 2.7%, unemployment at 3.4%, government debt at 40.1% of GDP, life expectancy of 74.9 years. Data sourced from the IMF World Economic Outlook and World Bank World Development Indicators. Explore Nicaragua's full economic profile with 440+ indicators, interactive charts, and historical data below.
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook
Economy
Fiscal & Monetary
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Inflation, Consumer Prices (%) | 2.7% | 2026 |
| Govt Gross Debt (% of GDP) | 40.1% | 2026 |
| Fiscal Balance (% of GDP) | 2.2% | 2026 |
| Current Account Balance (% of GDP) | 2.1% | 2026 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 3.4% | 2026 |
| Inflation, CPI (%, World Bank) | 4.6% | 2024 |
| Real Interest Rate (%) | 3.7% | 2024 |
| Lending Interest Rate (%) | 11.2% | 2024 |
| Deposit Interest Rate (%) | 2.2% | 2024 |
| Government Revenue (% of GDP) | 21.5% | 2023 |
| Government Expenditure (% of GDP) | 16.3% | 2023 |
| Tax Revenue (% of GDP) | 19.9% | 2023 |
| Taxes on Goods & Services (% of revenue) | 46.5% | 2023 |
| Taxes on International Trade (% of revenue) | 3.4% | 2023 |
| Taxes on Income, Profits & Capital Gains (% of rev) | 41.8% | 2023 |
| Net Investment in Nonfinancial Assets (% of GDP) | 2.7% | 2023 |
| Total Reserves incl. Gold (USD) | $6.10B | 2024 |
| Total Reserves (months of imports) | 5.7 | 2024 |
| Official Exchange Rate (per USD) | 36.62 | 2024 |
| PPP Conversion Factor | 11.98 | 2024 |
| Broad Money (% of GDP) | 39.3% | 2022 |
Trade
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Trade (% of GDP) | 98.5% | 2024 |
| Exports of Goods & Services (% of GDP) | 40.5% | 2024 |
| Imports of Goods & Services (% of GDP) | 58.1% | 2024 |
| Exports of Goods & Services (USD) | $7.97B | 2024 |
| Imports of Goods & Services (USD) | $11.43B | 2024 |
| Merchandise Exports (USD) | $7.52B | 2024 |
| Merchandise Imports (USD) | $11.47B | 2024 |
| FDI Inflows (% of GDP) | 6.9% | 2024 |
| FDI Outflows (% of GDP) | 0.4% | 2024 |
| FDI Net Inflows (USD) | $1.35B | 2024 |
| Personal Remittances Received (USD) | $5.25B | 2024 |
| Personal Remittances Received (% of GDP) | 26.6% | 2024 |
| High-Tech Exports (% of manufactured) | 0.6% | 2024 |
| Current Account Balance (% of GDP) | 4.2% | 2024 |
| Current Account Balance (USD) | $817.6M | 2024 |
External Debt
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| External Debt (% of GNI) | 82.8% | 2024 |
| External Debt Stocks (USD) | $15.49B | 2024 |
| Total Debt Service (% of GNI) | 9.7% | 2024 |
| Present Value of External Debt (USD) | $6.18B | 2024 |
| Use of IMF Credit (USD) | $600.4M | 2024 |
| Net ODA Received (% of GNI) | 3.4% | 2023 |
| Net ODA Received (USD) | $581.8M | 2023 |
Finance
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic Credit by Financial Sector (% of GDP) | 26.6% | 2024 |
| Domestic Credit to Private Sector (% of GDP) | 29.7% | 2024 |
| Bank Capital to Assets Ratio (%) | 8.0% | 2023 |
| Bank Nonperforming Loans (%) | 1.5% | 2023 |
| Account Ownership at Financial Institution (%) | 23.5% | 2024 |
| Account Ownership, Female (%) | 21.2% | 2024 |
| Account Ownership, Male (%) | 26.0% | 2024 |
People
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 6.9M | 2024 |
| Population Growth (%) | 1.3% | 2024 |
| Population Density (per km²) | 57 | 2023 |
| Surface Area (sq km) | 130,370 | 2023 |
| Land Area (sq km) | 120,340 | 2023 |
| Urban Population (%) | 59.3% | 2024 |
| Urban Population (total) | 4.1M | 2024 |
| Rural Population (%) | 40.7% | 2024 |
| Life Expectancy at Birth | 74.9 years | 2023 |
| Life Expectancy, Male | 72.3 years | 2023 |
| Life Expectancy, Female | 77.4 years | 2023 |
| Fertility Rate (births per woman) | 2.2 | 2023 |
| Birth Rate (per 1,000) | 19.4 | 2023 |
| Death Rate (per 1,000) | 4.6 | 2023 |
| Net Migration | -8,371 | 2025 |
| Population Ages 0–14 (%) | 28.8% | 2024 |
| Population Ages 15–64 (%) | 65.7% | 2024 |
| Population Ages 65+ (%) | 5.5% | 2024 |
| Age Dependency Ratio (%) | 52.2% | 2024 |
| Old-Age Dependency Ratio (%) | 8.4% | 2024 |
| Youth Dependency Ratio (%) | 43.8% | 2024 |
| Mortality Rate, Adult Male (per 1,000) | 165.8 | 2023 |
| Mortality Rate, Adult Female (per 1,000) | 92 | 2023 |
Labor
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Total Labor Force | 3.3M | 2025 |
| Labor Force Participation (%) | 66.1% | 2025 |
| Female Labor Force Participation (%) | 51.3% | 2025 |
| Male Labor Force Participation (%) | 81.8% | 2025 |
| Unemployment (%) | 5.0% | 2025 |
| Female Unemployment (%) | 5.2% | 2025 |
| Male Unemployment (%) | 5.0% | 2025 |
| Youth Unemployment (%) | 9.5% | 2025 |
| Employment in Agriculture (%) | 30.5% | 2025 |
| Employment in Industry (%) | 16.9% | 2025 |
| Employment in Services (%) | 52.6% | 2025 |
| Vulnerable Employment (%) | 38.9% | 2025 |
| Wage & Salaried Workers (% of total) | 55.7% | 2025 |
| Employers (% of total employment) | 5.4% | 2025 |
| Labor Force, Female (% of total) | 39.9% | 2025 |
| Employment to Population Ratio (%) | 62.7% | 2025 |
| Self-Employed (% of total) | 44.3% | 2025 |
| NEET Youth (% not in education/employment) | 24.5% | 2014 |
Education
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Education Spending (% of GDP) | 2.9% | 2023 |
| Education Spending (% of govt expenditure) | 11.0% | 2024 |
| Primary School Enrollment (%) | 109.5% | 2023 |
| Secondary School Enrollment (%) | 70.2% | 2023 |
| Tertiary School Enrollment (%) | 30.4% | 2023 |
| Primary Completion Rate (%) | 81.7% | 2022 |
| Lower Secondary Completion Rate (%) | 64.7% | 2010 |
| Out-of-School Children, Primary | 53,481 | 2023 |
| Out-of-School Girls, Primary | 25,719 | 2023 |
| Primary School Teachers | 29,707 | 2023 |
| Secondary School Teachers | 12,739 | 2023 |
| Expenditure per Student, Primary (% of GDP/cap) | 39.8% | 2010 |
| Pupil-Teacher Ratio (Primary) | 48.4 | 2007 |
| Education Spending, Secondary (% of govt) | 13.2% | 2010 |
| Education Spending, Tertiary (% of govt) | 26.0% | 2010 |
Health
Energy & Environment
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| CO₂ Emissions (tonnes per capita) | 0.8 | 2024 |
| CO₂ Emissions (total kilotonnes) | 6 | 2024 |
| Energy Use (kg oil eq. per capita) | 608 | 2022 |
| Electric Power Consumption (kWh per capita) | 682 | 2022 |
| Renewable Electricity Output (%) | 69.5% | 2021 |
| Renewable Energy Consumption (%) | 50.4% | 2021 |
| Access to Electricity (%) | 88.3% | 2023 |
| Access to Clean Fuels for Cooking (%) | 59.6% | 2023 |
| PM2.5 Air Pollution (µg/m³) | 16.8 | 2020 |
| Forest Area (%) | 25.8% | 2023 |
| Forest Area (sq km) | 31,075 | 2023 |
| Arable Land (%) | 12.5% | 2023 |
| Terrestrial Protected Areas (%) | 10.1% | 2024 |
| Marine Protected Areas (%) | 3.6% | 2024 |
Agriculture
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Land (%) | 42.3% | 2023 |
| Cereal Yield (kg per hectare) | 2,515 | 2023 |
| Food Production Index (2014–2016=100) | 127.9 | 2022 |
| Crop Production Index (2014–2016=100) | 130.8 | 2022 |
| Livestock Production Index (2014–2016=100) | 126 | 2022 |
| Land Under Cereal Production (hectares) | 350,425 | 2023 |
| Total Fisheries Production (metric tonnes) | 56,548 | 2023 |
| Fertilizer Consumption (kg per hectare) | 64.2 | 2023 |
| Prevalence of Undernourishment (%) | 17.3% | 2022 |
| Annual Freshwater Withdrawals (% of internal) | 0.8% | 2022 |
| Cereal Production (metric tons) | 881,420 | 2023 |
Technology
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Internet Users (%) | 58.2% | 2023 |
| Mobile Subscriptions (per 100 people) | 106 | 2023 |
| Fixed Broadband Subscriptions (per 100) | 5.4 | 2023 |
| Secure Internet Servers (per million) | 94 | 2024 |
| Scientific Journal Articles | 41 | 2022 |
| High-Technology Exports (USD) | $16.6M | 2024 |
| ICT Service Exports (% of service exports) | 19.4% | 2024 |
| ICT Service Exports (USD) | $252.3M | 2024 |
Infrastructure
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Air Transport, Passengers Carried | 61,031 | 2000 |
| Air Transport, Freight (million ton-km) | 0.5 | 2000 |
| Container Port Traffic (TEU) | 153,390 | 2022 |
| Logistics Performance Index (1–5) | 2.50 | 2022 |
| Electricity from Oil (%) | 35.5% | 2022 |
| Electricity from Nuclear (%) | 0.0% | 2021 |
Gender
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Women in Parliament (%) | 53.8% | 2024 |
| Female Wage & Salaried Workers (%) | 50.9% | 2025 |
| Adolescent Fertility Rate (per 1,000) | 93.5 | 2023 |
| Gender Parity Index, Secondary | 1.13 | 2010 |
| Gender Parity in Primary Education | 0.99 | 2020 |
Governance
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Control of Corruption | -1.39 | 2023 |
| Government Effectiveness | -1.08 | 2023 |
| Political Stability | -0.13 | 2023 |
| Regulatory Quality | -0.88 | 2023 |
| Rule of Law | -1.28 | 2023 |
| Voice & Accountability | -1.39 | 2023 |
| Control of Corruption (percentile rank) | 7.1% | 2023 |
| Government Effectiveness (percentile rank) | 13.2% | 2023 |
| Rule of Law (percentile rank) | 9.4% | 2023 |
| Political Stability (percentile rank) | 42.2% | 2023 |
Military
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Military Spending (% of GDP) | 0.5% | 2024 |
| Military Expenditure (USD) | $105.3M | 2024 |
| Armed Forces Personnel | 12,000 | 2020 |
| Armed Forces (% of labor force) | 0.4% | 2020 |
| Military Spending (% of govt expenditure) | 1.9% | 2024 |
| Intentional Homicides (per 100,000) | 11.3 | 2021 |
Social Protection
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Human Capital Index (0–1) | 0.51 | 2020 |
| Human Capital Index, Female | 0.53 | 2020 |
| Human Capital Index, Male | 0.49 | 2020 |
| Learning-Adjusted Years of School | 6.7 years | 2020 |
Tourism
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| International Tourism, Arrivals | 474,000 | 2020 |
| International Tourism, Departures | 325,000 | 2020 |
| Tourism Expenditures (USD) | $102.0M | 2020 |
Urban Development
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Urban Population Growth (%) | 1.6% | 2024 |
| Population in Largest City | 1.1M | 2025 |
| Population in Largest City (% of urban) | 26.9% | 2025 |
| Population in Agglomerations >1M (% of total) | 16.0% | 2025 |
| Population in Slums (% of urban) | 5.5% | 2020 |
| Rural Population Growth (%) | 1.0% | 2024 |
Explore Rankings
See where Nicaragua ranks globally across key indicators
Similar Economies
Countries in the same region (Latin America & Caribbean ) or income group (Lower middle income)
