Includes Nicaragua real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.
Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Nicaragua economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends.
Basic Information
Government Type: Presidential republic
Capital City: Managua
GDP & Economic Information
Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data
| Central Bank | Central Bank of Nicaragua |
|---|---|
| Currency | Cordobas (NIO) |
| International Reserves | USD 4.05 billion (2021) |
| Gross Domestic Product – GDP | USD 14.01 billion (2021) |
| GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) |
Intl$ 42.44 billion (2021) |
GDP Data
| Real GDP growth |
2014 4.8% 2015 4.8% 2016 4.7% 2017* 4.9% 2018* 4.0% *Estimate |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita – current prices | USD 2,090.8 (2021) |
| GDP per capita – PPP | Intl$ 6,331.7 (2021) |
| GDP (PPP) – share of world total | 0.2% (2019) |
| GDP – composition by sector |
agriculture: 15.5% industry: 25.8% services: 50.2% (2016 estimate) |
| Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) | N/A |
| Inflation |
2014 4.0% 2015 3.5% 2016 3.9% 2017* 5.0% 2018* 5.6% *Estimate |
Nicaragua
Emerging & Frontier Markets
Central America And Remittances: Opportunities Found
Emerging & Frontier Markets
Nicaraguas Political Impasse
Features
No-Consensus Forecast
Capital Raising & Corporate Finance
NICARAGUA’S GRAND CANAL AMBITIONS FAIL TO WOO VOTERSInflation & Debt
| Inflation |
2014 4.0% 2015 3.5% 2016 3.9% 2017* 5.0% 2018* 5.6% *Estimate |
|---|---|
| Government Bond Ratings |
Standard & Poor’s: B+ Moody’s: B2 Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s (Updated January 2017) |
| Unemployment rate |
2014 5.9% 2015 4.5% 2016 3.7% 2017* 5.5% 2018* 8.7% *Estimate |
| Household saving rates | N/A |
| Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) |
2014 28.9% 2015 30.9% 2016 33.9% 2017* 37.2% 2018* 39.0% *Estimate |
| Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) |
2014 -1.7% 2015 -1.7% 2016 -1.6% 2017* -3.1% 2018* -3.1% *Estimate |
| Market value of publicly traded shares |
2013 N/A 2014 N/A 2015 N/A |
| Largest Companies | N/A |
Import/Export
| Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) | 42% (2018 estimate) |
|---|---|
| Shares in world total merchandising export | 0.03% (2018) |
| Shares in world total commercial services export | 0.02% (2018) |
| Total exports | USD 5.1 billion (2018 estimate) |
| Export commodities | Coffee, beef, gold, sugar, peanuts, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, cigars, automobile wiring harnesses, textiles, apparel, cotton |
| Total imports | USD 6.7 billion (2018 estimate) |
| Import commodities | Consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products |
| Exports – major partners | US 44.2%, El Salvador 6.4%, Venezuela 5.5%, Costa Rica 5.5% (2017) |
| Imports – major partners | US 20.8%, China 14.3%, Mexico 11.1%, Costa Rica 7.9%, Guatemala 7%, El Salvador 5.6%(2017) |
Competitiveness & Trade
| Current account balance | USD 0.1 billion (2018 estimate) |
|---|---|
| Current account balance by percentage of GDP | 0.6% (2018 estimate) |
| FDI inflows |
2016 USD 899 million 2017 USD 772 million 2018 USD 359 million |
| FDI Outflows |
2016 USD 65 million 2017 USD 65 million 2018 USD 75 million |
| Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser |
N/A United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) – World Investment Report |
| Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 | N/A |
| Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 | N/A |
| Best countries for doing business |
Overall ranking: 142 out of 190 countries Starting a Business: 145 out of 190 countries Dealing with Construction Permits: 176 out of 190 countries Getting Electricity: 115 out of 190 countries Registering Property: 160 out of 190 countries Getting Credit: 104 out of 190 countries Protecting Minority Investors: 170 out of 190 countries Paying Taxes: 162 out of 190 countries Trading across Borders: 84 out of 190 countries Enforcing Contracts: 87 out of 190 countries Resolving Insolvency: 107 out of 190 countries World Bank – Doing Business 2019 |
| Global competitiveness ranking |
109 out of 141 countries World Economic Forum – The Global Competitiveness Index 2019 |
| Index of Economic Freedom | Ranking: 107 / Score: 57.7 (Mostly unfree) |
Population & Geographic Data
| Total Area | 130,370 sq km |
|---|---|
| Total Population |
1990 N/A 2000 5.0 Million 2010 5.8 Million 2015 6.3 Million 2020 6.6 Million |
| Urban population as % of total population |
1960 39.6% 1980 50.3% 2000 55.2% 2020 58.5% |
| Population median age | 26.2 |
| Population growth rate | 0.97% (2018 estimate) |
| Life expectancy | 73.7 years (2018 estimate) |
| % of population living on less than $3.10 a day | 12.8% (last available estimate, 2014) |
| Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) | 46.2 (last available estimate, 2014) |
| Freedom House rating |
Not Free Political Rights: 6 Civil Liberties: 5 (2019) (1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating) |
| Total telephone subscribers as % of population |
Fixed: 5% Mobile: 115.1% (2018) (fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers) |
| Internet users as % of total population | 27.86 % (2017) |
Language & Religon
| Languages | Spanish (official) 95.3%, Miskito 2.2%, Mestizo of the Caribbean coast 2%, other 0.5% (2005 est.) |
|---|---|
| Literacy |
Total population: 82.8% Male: 82.4% Female: 83.2% Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.) |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 50%, Evangelical 33.2%, other 2.9%, unspecified 13.2%, none 0.7% (2017 est.) |
World Rankings
| Population | 6.6 million |
|---|---|
| Mercer Cost of living index | N/A |
| C02 Emissions per capita | 0.79 metric tons per capita (2014) |
Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Nicaragua
Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.
Data Sources:
IMF World Economic Outlook
UN World Population Prospects
World Inequality Report
S&P Global Ratings
Moody’s
Fitch Ratings
IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
CIA The World Factbook
World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution
Forbes Global 2000