Browse additional economic indicators and data sets

Nicaragua

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

Inflation & 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

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