The Pacific coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony from Panama in the early 16th century. Independence from Spain was declared in 1821 and the country became an independent republic in 1838. Britain occupied the Caribbean Coast in the first half of the 19th century, but gradually ceded control of the region in subsequent decades. Violent opposition to governmental manipulation and corruption spread to all classes by 1978 and resulted in a short-lived civil war that brought a civic-military coalition, spearheaded by the Marxist Sandinista guerrillas led by Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra to power in 1979. Nicaraguan aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador prompted the US to sponsor anti-Sandinista contra guerrillas through much of the 1980s. After losing free and fair elections in 1990, 1996, and 2001, former Sandinista President Daniel ORTEGA was elected president in 2006, 2011, 2016, and most recently in 2021. Municipal, regional, and national-level elections since 2008 have been marred by widespread irregularities. Democratic institutions have weakened under the ORTEGA regime as the president has garnered full control over all branches of government, especially after cracking down on a nationwide pro-democracy protest movement in 2018. In the lead-up to the 2021 presidential election, authorities arrested over 40 individuals linked to the political opposition, including presidential candidates, private sector leaders, NGO workers, human rights defenders, and journalists. Only five lesser-known presidential candidates of mostly small parties allied to ORTEGA’s Sandinistas were allowed to run against ORTEGA in the November 2021 election.
land: 119,990 sq km
water: 10,380 sq km
border countries (2): Costa Rica 313 km; Honduras 940 km
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: natural prolongation
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
mean elevation: 298 m
arable land: 12.5% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 2.5% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 27.2% (2018 est.)
forest: 25.3% (2018 est.)
other: 32.5% (2018 est.)
6,359,689 (2023 est.)
noun: Nicaraguan(s)
adjective: Nicaraguan
Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and White) 69%, White 17%, Black 9%, Amerindian 5%
Spanish (official) 95.3%, Miskito 2.2%, Mestizo of the Caribbean coast 2%, other 0.5%; note - English and indigenous languages found on the Caribbean coast (2005 est.)
major-language sample(s):
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Roman Catholic 50%, Evangelical 33.2%, other 2.9%, none 0.7%, unspecified 13.2% (2017 est.)
Despite being one of the poorest countries in Latin America, Nicaragua has improved its access to potable water and sanitation and has ameliorated its life expectancy, infant and child mortality, and immunization rates. However, income distribution is very uneven, and the poor, agriculturalists, and indigenous people continue to have less access to healthcare services. Nicaragua’s total fertility rate has fallen from around 6 children per woman in 1980 to below replacement level today, but the high birth rate among adolescents perpetuates a cycle of poverty and low educational attainment.Nicaraguans emigrate primarily to Costa Rica and to a lesser extent the United States. Nicaraguan men have been migrating seasonally to Costa Rica to harvest bananas and coffee since the early 20th century. Political turmoil, civil war, and natural disasters from the 1970s through the 1990s dramatically increased the flow of refugees and permanent migrants seeking jobs, higher wages, and better social and healthcare benefits. Since 2000, Nicaraguan emigration to Costa Rica has slowed and stabilized. Today roughly 300,000 Nicaraguans are permanent residents of Costa Rica - about 75% of the foreign population - and thousands more migrate seasonally for work, many illegally.
0-14 years: 24.16% (male 784,847/female 751,616)
15-64 years: 69.36% (male 2,134,871/female 2,276,522)
65 years and over: 6.48% (2023 est.) (male 180,441/female 231,392)
total dependency ratio: 54.4
youth dependency ratio: 46.4
elderly dependency ratio: 8
potential support ratio: 12.6 (2021 est.)
total: 28.5 years (2023 est.)
male: 27.6 years
female: 29.4 years
0.97% (2023 est.)
16.6 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
5.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-1.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
the overwhelming majority of the population resides in the western half of the country, with much of the urban growth centered in the capital city of Managua; coastal areas also show large population clusters
urban population: 59.8% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
1.095 million MANAGUA (capital) (2023)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
19.2 years (2011/12 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29
78 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 14.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 16.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 74.5 years (2023 est.)
male: 73 years
female: 76.2 years
1.85 children born/woman (2023 est.)
0.9 (2023 est.)
80.4% (2011/12)
improved: urban: 97.5% of population
rural: 62.6% of population
total: 83.2% of population
unimproved: urban: 2.5% of population
rural: 37.4% of population
total: 16.8% of population (2020 est.)
8.6% of GDP (2020)
1.67 physicians/1,000 population (2018)
0.9 beds/1,000 population (2017)
improved: urban: 89.9% of population
rural: 66.5% of population
total: 80.3% of population
unimproved: urban: 10.1% of population
rural: 33.5% of population
total: 19.7% of population (2020 est.)
degree of risk: high (2023)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
23.7% (2016)
total: 3.69 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 1.57 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 2.1 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
56% (2023 est.)
4.6% of GDP (2020 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 82.6%
male: 82.4%
female: 82.8% (2015)
deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; drought
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
agricultural land: 42.2% (2018 est.)
arable land: 12.5% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 2.5% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 27.2% (2018 est.)
forest: 25.3% (2018 est.)
other: 32.5% (2018 est.)
urban population: 59.8% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
1.26% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 16 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 5.59 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 6.46 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 1,528,816 tons (2010 est.)
fresh water lake(s): Lago de Nicaragua - 8,150 sq km; Lago de Managua - 1,040 sq km
municipal: 286 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 50 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 1.08 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
164.52 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
low-income Central American economy; until 2018, nearly 20 years of sustained GDP growth; recent struggles due to COVID-19, political instability, and hurricanes; significant remittances; increasing poverty and food scarcity since 2005; sanctions limit investment
$38.628 billion (2021 est.)
$35.007 billion (2020 est.)
$35.645 billion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
10.34% (2021 est.)
-1.79% (2020 est.)
-3.78% (2019 est.)
$5,600 (2021 est.)
$5,200 (2020 est.)
$5,300 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
$12.57 billion (2019 est.)
4.93% (2021 est.)
3.68% (2020 est.)
5.38% (2019 est.)
Fitch rating: B- (2018)
Moody’s rating: B3 (2020)
Standard & Poors rating: B- (2018)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
agriculture: 15.5% (2017 est.)
industry: 24.4% (2017 est.)
services: 60% (2017 est.)comparison rankings:
household consumption: 69.9% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 15.3% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 28.1% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: 1.7% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 41.2% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -55.4% (2017 est.)
sugar cane, milk, rice, maize, plantains, groundnuts, cassava, beans, coffee, poultry
food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, knit and woven apparel, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood, electric wire harness manufacturing, mining
21.28% (2021 est.)
3.042 million (2021 est.)
5.96% (2021 est.)
6.08% (2020 est.)
5.21% (2019 est.)
note: underemployment was 46.5% in 2008
total: 11.6% (2021 est.)
male: 10.2%
female: 15.5%
24.9% (2016 est.)
46.2 (2014 est.)
lowest 10%: 1.8%
highest 10%: 47.1% (2014)
revenues: $3.452 billion (2019 est.)
expenditures: $3.511 billion (2019 est.)
-2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
33.3% of GDP (2017 est.)
31.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
note: official data; data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by Government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as retirement, medical care, and unemployment, debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions; Nicaragua rebased its GDP figures in 2012, which reduced the figures for debt as a percentage of GDP
17.2% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
calendar year
-$316.6 million (2021 est.)
$496.7 million (2020 est.)
$754.1 million (2019 est.)
$6.617 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$5.342 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$5.714 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
United States 60%, El Salvador 5%, Mexico 5% (2019)
clothing and apparel, gold, insulated wiring, coffee, beef, cigars (2021)
$8.306 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$5.939 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$6.252 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
United States 27%, Mexico 12%, China 11%, Guatemala 9%, Costa Rica 7%, El Salvador 6%, Honduras 6% (2019)
refined petroleum, clothing and apparel, crude petroleum, packaged medicines, insulated wiring (2019)
$4.047 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
$3.212 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$2.397 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
$11.674 billion (2019 est.)
$11.771 billion (2018 est.)
cordobas (NIO) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
35.171 (2021 est.)
34.342 (2020 est.)
33.122 (2019 est.)
31.553 (2018 est.)
30.051 (2017 est.)
population without electricity: (2020) less than 1 million
electrification - total population: 86.2% (2021)
electrification - urban areas: 100% (2021)
electrification - rural areas: 66.3% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 1.837 million kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 3,182,620,000 kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
imports: 434 million kWh (2019 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 1.89 billion kWh (2019 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 37.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 0.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 15.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 12.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 16.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 17.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 200 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 35,100 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 13,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)
14,720 bbl/day (2015 est.)
460 bbl/day (2015 est.)
20,120 bbl/day (2015 est.)
production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
4.851 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 4.851 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
14.916 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 7
YN
147 (2021)
12
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
135
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
54 km oil (2013)
total: 23,897 km (2014)
paved: 3,346 km (2014)
unpaved: 20,551 km (2014)
2,220 km (2011) (navigable waterways as well as the use of the large Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua; rivers serve only the sparsely populated eastern part of the country)
total: 5 (2022)
by type: general cargo 1, oil tanker 1, other 3
major seaport(s): Bluefields, Corinto
manyapis