Nicaragua Facts, Map, Population, GDP

Capital

Managua

Population

6,739,380 (2025 est.)

Area

130,370 sq km

Location

Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras

🧭 Background

The Pacific coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony 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. By 1978, violent opposition to governmental manipulation and corruption resulted in a short-lived civil war that brought a civil-military coalition to power in 1979, spearheaded by Marxist Sandinista guerrillas led by Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra. 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, 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 lost their independence under the ORTEGA regime as the president has assumed full control over all branches of government, as well as cracking down on a nationwide pro-democracy protest movement in 2018 and shuttering over 3,300 civil society organizations between 2018 and 2024. In the lead-up to the 2021 presidential election, authorities arrested over 40 individuals linked to the opposition, including presidential candidates, private sector leaders, NGO workers, human rights defenders, and journalists. Only five lesser-known presidential candidates from mostly small parties allied to ORTEGA's Sandinistas were allowed to run against ORTEGA. He then awarded the Sandinistas control of all 153 of Nicaraguan municipalities in the 2022 municipal elections, consolidating one-party rule.

🗺️ Geography

Location

Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras

Geographic coordinates

13 00 N, 85 00 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Area — total

130,370 sq km

Area — land

119,990 sq km

Area — water

10,380 sq km

Area - comparative

Slightly larger than Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than New York State

Land boundaries — total

1,253 km

Land boundaries — border countries

Costa Rica 313 km; Honduras 940 km

Coastline

910 km

Maritime claims — territorial sea

12 nm

Maritime claims — contiguous zone

24 nm

Maritime claims — continental shelf

Natural prolongation

Climate

Tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

Terrain

Extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes

Elevation — highest point

Mogoton 2,085 m

Elevation — lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

Elevation — mean elevation

298 m

Natural resources

Gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish

Land use — agricultural land

42.3% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: arable land

Arable land: 12.5% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: permanent crops

Permanent crops: 2.5% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: permanent pasture

Permanent pasture: 27.4% (2023 est.)

Land use — forest

40.1% (2023 est.)

Land use — other

17.6% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land

1,990 sq km (2012)

Major lakes (area sq km) — fresh water lake(s)

Lago de Nicaragua - 8,150 sq km; Lago de Managua - 1,040 sq km

Population distribution

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

Natural hazards

Destructive earthquakes; volcanoes; landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes volcanism: significant volcanic activity; Cerro Negro (728 m) is one of Nicaragua's most active volcanoes; its lava flows and ash have been known to cause significant damage to farmland and buildings; other historically active volcanoes include Concepcion, Cosiguina, Las Pilas, Masaya, Momotombo, San Cristobal, and Telica

Geography - note

Largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua

👥 People and Society⬆️ Top

Population — total

6,739,380 (2025 est.)

Population — male

3,304,133

Population — female

3,435,247

Nationality — noun

Nicaraguan(s)

Nationality — adjective

Nicaraguan

Ethnic groups

Mestizo (mixed Indigenous and White) 69%, White 17%, Black 9%, Indigenous 5%

Languages — Languages

Spanish (official) 99.5%, Indigenous 0.3%, Portuguese 0.1%, other 0.1% (2020 est.)

Languages — 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.

Religions

Roman Catholic 44.9%, Protestant 38.7% (Evangelical 38.2, Adventist 0.5%), other 1.2%, (includes Jehovah's Witness and Church of Jesus Christ), believer but not belonging to a church 1%, agnostic or atheist 0.4%, none 13.7%, unspecified 0.2% (2020 est.)

Age structure — 0-14 years

25.1% (male 855,256/female 818,714)

Age structure — 15-64 years

68.9% (male 2,240,297/female 2,360,244)

Age structure — 65 years and over

6% (2024 est.) (male 178,347/female 224,090)

Dependency ratios — total dependency ratio

44.6 (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios — youth dependency ratio

35.6 (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios — elderly dependency ratio

9 (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios — potential support ratio

11.1 (2025 est.)

Median age — total

29.5 years (2025 est.)

Median age — male

28.1 years

Median age — female

29.9 years

Population growth rate

0.92% (2025 est.)

Birth rate

16.07 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Death rate

5.14 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Net migration rate

-1.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Population distribution

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

Urbanization — urban population

59.8% of total population (2023)

Urbanization — rate of urbanization

1.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas - population

1.095 million MANAGUA (capital) (2023)

Sex ratio — at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — 0-14 years

1.04 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — 15-64 years

0.95 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — 65 years and over

0.8 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — total population

0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

19.2 years (2011/12 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

60 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate — total

14.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

Infant mortality rate — male

15.9 deaths/1,000 live births

Infant mortality rate — female

12.8 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth — total population

74.7 years (2024 est.)

Life expectancy at birth — male

73.2 years

Life expectancy at birth — female

76.4 years

Total fertility rate

1.82 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

0.89 (2025 est.)

Health expenditure — Health expenditure (as % of GDP)

9.7% of GDP (2021)

Health expenditure — Health expenditure (as % of national budget)

17.8% of national budget (2022 est.)

Physician density

0.68 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density

0.9 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Sanitation facility access — unimproved: rural

Rural: 33.5% of population

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

23.7% (2016)

Alcohol consumption per capita — total

3.69 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Alcohol consumption per capita — beer

1.57 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Alcohol consumption per capita — wine

0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Alcohol consumption per capita — spirits

2.1 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Alcohol consumption per capita — other alcohols

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

56% (2023 est.)

Education expenditure — Education expenditure (% GDP)

2.9% of GDP (2023 est.)

Education expenditure — Education expenditure (% national budget)

11% national budget (2024 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) — total

12 years (2023 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) — male

12 years (2023 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) — female

12 years (2023 est.)

🌿 Environment⬆️ Top

Environmental issues

Deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; drought

International environmental agreements — 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

International environmental agreements — signed, but not ratified

None of the selected agreements

Climate

Tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

Land use — agricultural land

42.3% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: arable land

Arable land: 12.5% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: permanent crops

Permanent crops: 2.5% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: permanent pasture

Permanent pasture: 27.4% (2023 est.)

Land use — forest

40.1% (2023 est.)

Land use — other

17.6% (2023 est.)

Urbanization — urban population

59.8% of total population (2023)

Urbanization — rate of urbanization

1.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions — total emissions

3.806 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions — from coal and metallurgical coke

2 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions — from petroleum and other liquids

3.806 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Particulate matter emissions

16.3 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

Waste and recycling — municipal solid waste generated annually

1.529 million tons (2024 est.)

Waste and recycling — percent of municipal solid waste recycled

15% (2022 est.)

Total water withdrawal — municipal

190 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Total water withdrawal — industrial

620,000 cubic meters (2022 est.)

Total water withdrawal — agricultural

1.084 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Total renewable water resources

164.52 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Geoparks — total global geoparks and regional networks

1

Geoparks — global geoparks and regional networks

Rio Coco (2023)

🏛️ Government⬆️ Top

Country name — conventional long form

Republic of Nicaragua

Country name — conventional short form

Nicaragua

Country name — local long form

República de Nicaragua

Country name — local short form

Nicaragua

Country name — etymology

16th-century Spanish explorer Gil GONZALEZ Davila is said to have combined the name of a local chieftain, Nicarao, with the Spanish word agua (water), referring to the two large lakes in the west of the country (Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua)

Government type

Presidential republic

Capital — name

Managua

Capital — geographic coordinates

12 08 N, 86 15 W

Capital — time difference

UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Capital — etymology

The name comes from Lake Managua, whose name is composed of the Guaraní words ama (rain) and nagua (spirit) and refers to a local deity

Administrative divisions

15 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 2 autonomous regions* (regiones autonomistas, singular - region autonoma); Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Costa Caribe Norte*, Costa Caribe Sur*, Estelí, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas

Legal system

Civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts

Constitution — history

Several previous; latest adopted 19 November 1986, effective 9 January 1987

Constitution — amendment process

Proposed by the president of the republic or assent of at least half of the National Assembly membership; passage requires approval by 60% of the membership of the next elected Assembly and promulgation by the president of the republic

International law organization participation

Accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship — citizenship by birth

Yes

Citizenship — citizenship by descent only

Yes

Citizenship — dual citizenship recognized

No, except in cases where bilateral agreements exist

Citizenship — residency requirement for naturalization

4 years

Suffrage

16 years of age; universal

Executive branch — chief of state

President Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007)

Executive branch — head of government

President Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007)

Executive branch — cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

Executive branch — election/appointment process

President and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by qualified plurality vote for a 6-year term (no term limits)

Executive branch — most recent election date

7 November 2021

Executive branch — election results

2021: Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra reelected president for a fourth consecutive term; percent of vote - Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) 75.9%, Walter ESPINOZA (PLC) 14.3%, Guillermo OSORNO (CCN) 3.3%, Marcelo MONTIEL (ALN) 3.1%, other 3.4% 2016: Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra reelected president for a third consecutive term; percent of vote - Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) 72.4%, Maximino RODRIGUEZ (PLC) 15%, Jose del Carmen ALVARADO (PLI) 4.5%, Saturnino CERRATO Hodgson (ALN) 4.3%, other 3.7%

Executive branch — expected date of next election

1 November 2026

Legislative branch — legislature name

National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional)

Legislative branch — legislative structure

Unicameral

Legislative branch — number of seats

91 (all directly elected)

Legislative branch — electoral system

Proportional representation

Legislative branch — scope of elections

Full renewal

Legislative branch — term in office

5 years

Legislative branch — most recent election date

11/7/2021

Legislative branch — parties elected and seats per party

Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) (75); Liberal and Constitutionalist Party (PLC) (9); Other (6)

Legislative branch — percentage of women in chamber

54.9%

Legislative branch — expected date of next election

November 2026

Judicial branch — highest court(s)

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema de Justicia (consists of 16 judges organized into administrative, civil, criminal, and constitutional chambers)

Judicial branch — judge selection and term of office

Supreme Court judges elected by the National Assembly to serve 5-year staggered terms

Judicial branch — subordinate courts

Appeals Court; first instance civil, criminal, and labor courts; military courts are independent of the Supreme Court

Political parties

Alliance for the Republic or APRE Alternative for Change or AC (operates in a political alliance with the FSLN) Autonomous Liberal Party or PAL Caribbean Unity Movement or PAMUC Christian Unity Party or PUC (operates in a political alliance with the FSLN) Independent Liberal Party or PLI Liberal Constitutionalist Party or PLC Moskitia Indigenous Progressive Movement or MOSKITIA PAWANKA (operates in a political alliance with the FSLN) Multiethnic Indigenous Party or PIM (operates in a political alliance with the FSLN) Nationalist Liberal Party or PLN (operates in a political alliance with the FSLN) Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance or ALN Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path or CCN Nicaraguan Resistance Party or PRN (operates in a political alliance with the FSLN) Sandinista National Liberation Front or FSLN Sons of Mother Earth or YATAMA The New Sons of Mother Earth Movement or MYATAMARAN (operates in a political alliance with the FSLN)

Diplomatic representation in the US — chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Sammia Alicia HODGSON MCKENZIE (since 3 June 2025)

Diplomatic representation in the US — chancery

1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

Diplomatic representation in the US — telephone

[1] (202) 939-6570

Diplomatic representation in the US — FAX

[1] (202) 939-6545

Diplomatic representation in the US — email address and website

Mperalta@cancilleria.gob.ni United States of America | ConsuladoDeNicaragua.com

Diplomatic representation in the US — consulate(s) general

Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US — chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Elias BAUMANN (since December 2025)

Diplomatic representation from the US — embassy

Kilometer 5.5 Carretera Sur, Managua

Diplomatic representation from the US — mailing address

3240 Managua Place, Washington DC 20521-3240

Diplomatic representation from the US — telephone

[505] 2252-7100,

Diplomatic representation from the US — FAX

[505] 2252-7250

Diplomatic representation from the US — email address and website

ACS.Managua@state.gov https://ni.usembassy.gov/

International organization participation

ACS, BCIE, CACM, CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Petrocaribe, SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Independence

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Flag

Description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue, with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms has a triangle with the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA in an arc over it and AMERICA CENTRAL in an arc underneath meaning: blue stands for the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, and white for the land between the two bodies of water history: the banner is based on the former blue-white-blue flag of the Federal Republic of Central America

National symbol(s)

Turquoise-browed motmot (bird)

National color(s)

Blue, white

National anthem(s) — title

"Salve a ti, Nicaragua" (Hail to Thee, Nicaragua)

National anthem(s) — lyrics/music

Salomon Ibarra MAYORGA/traditional, arranged by Luis Abraham DELGADILLO

National anthem(s) — history

Music was approved in 1918 and the lyrics in 1939

National heritage — total World Heritage Sites

2 (both cultural)

National heritage — selected World Heritage Site locales

Ruins of León Viejo; León Cathedral

💹 Economy⬆️ Top

Economic overview

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

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) — Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024

$52.989 billion (2024 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) — Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$51.153 billion (2023 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) — Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$48.985 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate — Real GDP growth rate 2024

3.6% (2024 est.)

Real GDP growth rate — Real GDP growth rate 2023

4.4% (2023 est.)

Real GDP growth rate — Real GDP growth rate 2022

3.6% (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita — Real GDP per capita 2024

$7,700 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita — Real GDP per capita 2023

$7,500 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita — Real GDP per capita 2022

$7,300 (2022 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$19.694 billion (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) — Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

4.6% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) — Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

8.4% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) — Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

10.5% (2022 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin — agriculture

14.4% (2024 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin — industry

27.6% (2024 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin — services

46.8% (2024 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use — household consumption

80.6% (2024 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use — government consumption

12.3% (2024 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use — investment in fixed capital

22.9% (2024 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use — investment in inventories

1.8% (2024 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use — exports of goods and services

40.5% (2024 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use — imports of goods and services

-58.1% (2024 est.)

Agricultural products

Sugarcane, milk, rice, oil palm fruit, maize, plantains, cassava, groundnuts, beans, chicken (2023)

Industries

Food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, knit and woven apparel, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood, electric wire harness manufacturing, mining

Industrial production growth rate

3.6% (2024 est.)

Labor force

3.225 million (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate — Unemployment rate 2024

4.6% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate — Unemployment rate 2023

4.8% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate — Unemployment rate 2022

5% (2022 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) — total

9% (2024 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) — male

7.8% (2024 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) — female

12% (2024 est.)

Population below poverty line

24.9% (2016 est.)

Remittances — Remittances 2024

26.6% of GDP (2024 est.)

Remittances — Remittances 2023

26.2% of GDP (2023 est.)

Remittances — Remittances 2022

20.6% of GDP (2022 est.)

Budget — revenues

$3.856 billion (2023 est.)

Budget — expenditures

$3.382 billion (2023 est.)

Public debt — Public debt 2017

33.3% of GDP (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

19.9% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

Current account balance — Current account balance 2024

$817.618 million (2024 est.)

Current account balance — Current account balance 2023

$1.465 billion (2023 est.)

Current account balance — Current account balance 2022

-$459.6 million (2022 est.)

Exports — Exports 2024

$8.135 billion (2024 est.)

Exports — Exports 2023

$8.248 billion (2023 est.)

Exports — Exports 2022

$7.87 billion (2022 est.)

Exports - partners

USA 51%, Mexico 12%, El Salvador 6%, Canada 6%, Switzerland 4% (2023)

Exports - commodities

Garments, gold, insulated wire, coffee, beef (2023)

Imports — Imports 2024

$11.437 billion (2024 est.)

Imports — Imports 2023

$10.519 billion (2023 est.)

Imports — Imports 2022

$10.213 billion (2022 est.)

Imports - partners

USA 24%, China 13%, Mexico 9%, Honduras 9%, Guatemala 8% (2023)

Imports - commodities

Garments, refined petroleum, crude petroleum, plastic products, fabric (2023)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold — Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2024

$6.105 billion (2024 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold — Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023

$5.447 billion (2023 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold — Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022

$4.404 billion (2022 est.)

Debt - external — Debt - external 2023

$6.753 billion (2023 est.)

Exchange rates — Currency

Cordobas (NIO) per US dollar -

Exchange rates — Exchange rates 2024

36.624 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates — Exchange rates 2023

36.441 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates — Exchange rates 2022

35.874 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates — Exchange rates 2021

35.171 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates — Exchange rates 2020

34.342 (2020 est.)

⚡ Energy⬆️ Top

Electricity access — electrification - total population

86.5% (2022 est.)

Electricity access — electrification - urban areas

100%

Electricity access — electrification - rural areas

66.3%

Electricity — installed generating capacity

1.849 million kW (2023 est.)

Electricity — consumption

4.654 billion kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity — imports

1.125 billion kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity — transmission/distribution losses

839 million kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources — fossil fuels

35.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources — solar

0.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources — wind

12.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources — hydroelectricity

14.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources — geothermal

15.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources — biomass and waste

20.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal — imports

22 metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum — total petroleum production

200 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Petroleum — refined petroleum consumption

28,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita — Total energy consumption per capita 2023

10.66 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

📡 Communications⬆️ Top

Telephones - fixed lines — total subscriptions

234,000 (2023 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines — subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

3 (2023 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular — total subscriptions

7.33 million (2024 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular — subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

106 (2024 est.)

Broadcast media

Multiple terrestrial TV stations, supplemented by cable TV in most urban areas; nearly all are state-owned or affiliated; more than 300 radio stations, both state-affiliated and privately owned (2019)

Internet country code

.ni

Internet users — percent of population

58% (2023 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions — total

371,000 (2023 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions — subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

5 (2023 est.)

🚚 Transportation⬆️ Top

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

YN

Airports

39 (2025)

Merchant marine — total

5 (2023)

Merchant marine — by type

General cargo 1, oil tanker 1, other 3

Ports — total ports

5 (2024)

Ports — large

0

Ports — medium

0

Ports — small

2

Ports — very small

3

Ports — ports with oil terminals

4

Ports — key ports

Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto Sandino

🛡️ Military and Security⬆️ Top

Military and security forces

Armed Forces of Nicaragua (formal name is Army of Nicaragua or Ejercito de Nicaragua, EN): Land Force; Naval Force; Air Force (2025)

Military expenditures — Military Expenditures 2024

0.5% of GDP (2024 est.)

Military expenditures — Military Expenditures 2023

0.6% of GDP (2023 est.)

Military expenditures — Military Expenditures 2022

0.6% of GDP (2022 est.)

Military expenditures — Military Expenditures 2021

0.6% of GDP (2021 est.)

Military expenditures — Military Expenditures 2020

0.6% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military and security service personnel strengths

Approximately 12,000 active Armed Forces (2025)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

The military's air and ground force inventories include mostly secondhand Russian or Soviet-era equipment (2025)

Military service age and obligation

18-30 years of age for voluntary military service (16-20 for cadets); no conscription; tour of duty 18-36 months (2025)

Military - note

The military is responsible for defending Nicaragua’s independence, sovereignty, and territory; it also has some domestic security responsibilities, including border security, assisting the police, protecting natural resources, and providing disaster relief and humanitarian assistance; Nicaragua has defense ties with Cuba, Venezuela, and Russia; Russia has provided training support and equipment; in 2025, Nicaragua signed an agreement of “mutual protection” with Russia the modern Army of Nicaragua was created in 1979 as the Sandinista Popular Army (1979-1984); prior to 1979, the military was known as the National Guard, which was organized and trained by the US in the 1920s and 1930s; the first commander of the National Guard, Anastasio SOMOZA GARCIA, seized power in 1937 and ran the country as a military dictator until his assassination in 1956; his sons ran the country either directly or through figureheads until the Sandinistas came to power in 1979; the defeated National Guard was disbanded by the Sandinistas (2025)

🛰️ Space⬆️ Top

Space agency/agencies

National Secretariat for Extraterrestrial Space Affairs, The Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (Secretaría Nacional para Asuntos del Espacio Ultraterrestre, la Luna y otros Cuerpos Celestes, established 2021; operates under the military’s control) (2025)

Space program overview

Stated mission is to promote the development of space activities with the aim of broadening the country’s capacities in education, industry, science, and technology; has cooperated with China and Russia; is a signatory of the convention establishing the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (2025)

Key space-program milestones

1994 - joined UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space 2017 - Russia opened a satellite navigation system monitoring station in Nicaragua 2021 - signed convention establishing the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency 2024 - joined the China-led International Lunar Research Station project, which aims to establish a permanent base on the Moon by the 2030s

🌐 Transnational Issues⬆️ Top

Refugees and internally displaced persons — IDPs

89 (2024 est.)

Trafficking in persons — tier rating

Tier 3 — Nicaragua does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Nicaragua remained on Tier 3; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/nicaragua/

Illicit drugs — USG identification

Major illicit drug-producing and/or drug-transit country (2025)