Nicaragua
Country in Americas
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 7M (2025). World rank 108 of 216; in Americas, 18 of 46. Area: 130,373 km². World rank 99 of 249; in Americas, 17 of 56. GDP per person: $3,173 (2025). World rank 157 of 210 (1 = best); in Americas, 44 of 45. From 2015 to 2025: population 6.1M → 7M, GDP $12.8B → $22.2B, and GDP per person $2,074 → $3,173. Worse than all its neighbours (Costa Rica and Honduras): GDP per person.
State
- Official name
- Republic of Nicaragua
- Local name
- Nicaragua
- Capital
- Managua
- Region
- Americas
- Form of government
- Presidential republic
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Daniel Ortega
- Head of government
- Daniel Ortega
- Independence
- September 15, 1821
- Women in parliament
- 55% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 7,007,502 2025
- Area
- 130,373 km²
- GDP
- $22.2B 2025
- GDP per person
- $3,173 2025
- Life expectancy
- 75.1 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- Spanish
- Currency
- Nicaraguan Córdoba (NIO)
- Time zones
- UTC−6
- Calling code
- +505
- Emergency numbers
- 115, 118, 120, 128
- Driving side
- Right
- Plug types
- A, B
- Mains voltage
- 120 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 910
- Neighbours
- Costa Rica, Honduras
- Agricultural land
- 42.3% 2023
Elevation
- Highest point
- Cerro Mogotón, 2,085 m
- Lowest point
- Caribbean Sea, 0 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 298
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 28
- Warmest month in the capital
- April, 30°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- November, 26°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 2,280 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 53.7 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +1.3% 2025
- Living in cities
- 59.4% 2025
- Net migration per year
- -8.4K 2025
- Born in another country
- 0.6% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 28.3% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 66% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 5.7% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 77.6 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 72.5 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 2.2 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 19.1 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 4.6 2024
Society
- Religions
- Catholic 44.9%, Protestant 38.7%, no religion 14.1%, other 1.2%, and other Christian 1% (2020)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 32.5 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 20.2 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 34.1 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 39.3 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 25.4 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $9,284 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +4.9% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Lower-middle income
- Gross national income per person
- $2,850 2025
- Inflation
- +2.1% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 34 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 14.5% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 29.3% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 45.2% 2025
- Unemployment
- 5% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 9.5% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 51.3% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 41.6% 2025
- Imports, share of GDP
- 54.9% 2025
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- +4.2% 2024
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +6.8% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 26.6% 2024
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 20.1% 2024
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 46.2 2014
- Living on under $3 a day
- 6.6% 2014
Education
- Adult literacy
- 87.3% 2014
- Primary school enrolment
- 110% 2023
- Secondary school enrolment
- 70.2% 2023
- Higher education enrolment
- 30.4% 2023
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 2.9% 2023
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 8.3% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $217 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 37.6% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 0.7 2018
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 1.6 2017
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 1 2022
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 85% 2023
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 9.4 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 11.2 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 60 2023
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 10.4% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 67.2% 2022
Living conditions
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 63% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 11.4 2021
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 16.9 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 4.2 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 65.4 2025
- Natural hazards
- earthquakes, volcanoes, tropical cyclones, and landslides
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 20.4 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 0.8 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 2.8 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 25.8% 2023
- Protected areas
- 10.1% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 23,209 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 2.2% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 61.4% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 106 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 5.8 2024
- Internet domain
- .ni
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 88.7% 2024
- Electricity use, kWh per person
- 647 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 50.4% 2021
- Electricity from renewables
- 69.5% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 36.1% 2024
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 61,031 2000
- Airports
- 39 2025
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0.1% 2015
- Researchers per million people
- 71 1997
- Scientific articles per year
- 41 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 1 2014
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 0.6% 2024