Latin America & Caribbean · Lower middle income
Nicaragua: the economy in numbers
Per person: $3,173, or $9,284 at purchasing power parity. Population: 7.01 million (2025).
GDP in 2025, current US dollars: #128 of 204 economies. IMF forecast for 2026: +3.8%.
GDP
Adjusted for US inflation, in 2025 dollars: $2.48 billion in 1960, $22.2 billion in 2025.
GDP per capita
In 2025 dollars: $1,389 per person in 1960, $3,173 in 2025.
Real GDP growth
Average over 2016–2025: 2.7% a year. Years of falling GDP since 1961: 17 of 65.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Inflation
Consumer prices rose 4.95 times from 2000 to 2025. Highest annual inflation: 13,110% in 1987. Years with inflation above 100%: 8. The chart cuts the scale at 100%; “Full scale” shows everything.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Government debt, % of GDP
Highest since 1997: 110.4% of GDP in 2002. IMF forecast for 2031: 26.8%.
Population
1960: 1.78 million · 2025: 7.01 million.
Unemployment rate
1991: 7.9% · 2025: 5.0%.
Life expectancy at birth
1960: 46.4 years · 2024: 75.1 years.
Exports of goods and services
1960: 23.7% · 2025: 41.6%.
Data by year
Show the year-by-year table
| Year | GDP | GDP per capita | Per capita, PPP | Real growth | Inflation | Gov. debt, % GDP | Population | Unemployment | Life expectancy | Exports, % GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2031 | 3.5%f | 3.0%f | 26.8%f | |||||||
| 2030 | 3.5%f | 3.0%f | 27.0%f | |||||||
| 2029 | 3.5%f | 3.0%f | 27.9%f | |||||||
| 2028 | 3.5%f | 3.0%f | 28.4%f | |||||||
| 2027 | 3.8%f | 3.2%f | 28.8%f | |||||||
| 2026 | 3.8%f | 3.5%f | 31.7%f | |||||||
| 2025 | $22.2B | $3,173 | $9,284 | 4.9% | 2.1% | 34.6% | 7.01M | 5.0% | 41.6% | |
| 2024 | $19.7B | $2,848 | $8,721 | 3.6% | 4.6% | 37.9% | 6.92M | 5.0% | 75.1 | 41.0% |
| 2023 | $17.8B | $2,609 | $8,327 | 4.4% | 8.4% | 42.4% | 6.82M | 4.7% | 74.9 | 45.9% |
| 2022 | $15.6B | $2,323 | $7,795 | 3.6% | 10.5% | 45.9% | 6.73M | 5.0% | 74.5 | 49.9% |
| 2021 | $14.2B | $2,138 | $7,119 | 10.5% | 4.9% | 48.4% | 6.64M | 6.1% | 70.5 | 46.4% |
| 2020 | $12.7B | $1,938 | $6,274 | −2.2% | 3.7% | 49.2% | 6.57M | 6.2% | 70.8 | 41.7% |
| 2019 | $12.7B | $1,959 | $5,981 | −2.9% | 5.4% | 44.2% | 6.48M | 5.5% | 73.8 | 44.8% |
| 2018 | $13B | $2,035 | $5,935 | −3.4% | 4.9% | 39.1% | 6.4M | 5.2% | 73.9 | 42.3% |
| 2017 | $13.8B | $2,183 | $6,225 | 4.6% | 3.9% | 34.7% | 6.32M | 3.3% | 73.4 | 41.3% |
| 2016 | $13.3B | $2,132 | $5,882 | 4.6% | 3.5% | 30.9% | 6.23M | 3.9% | 73.2 | 38.9% |
| 2015 | $12.8B | $2,074 | $5,449 | 4.8% | 4.0% | 28.9% | 6.15M | 4.7% | 72.9 | 40.1% |
| 2014 | $11.9B | $1,958 | $5,068 | 4.8% | 6.0% | 28.7% | 6.07M | 4.5% | 72.8 | 45.0% |
| 2013 | $11B | $1,835 | $4,711 | 4.9% | 7.1% | 28.8% | 5.98M | 5.3% | 72.6 | 45.2% |
| 2012 | $10.5B | $1,785 | $4,508 | 6.5% | 7.2% | 27.9% | 5.9M | 5.2% | 72.4 | 47.5% |
| 2011 | $9.77B | $1,680 | $4,325 | 6.3% | 8.1% | 28.8% | 5.82M | 6.6% | 72.0 | 45.0% |
| 2010 | $8.76B | $1,527 | $4,042 | 4.4% | 5.5% | 30.3% | 5.74M | 7.8% | 71.8 | 40.5% |
| 2009 | $8.3B | $1,467 | $3,880 | −3.3% | 3.7% | 29.3% | 5.66M | 8.2% | 71.5 | 34.0% |
| 2008 | $8.5B | $1,524 | $4,044 | 3.4% | 19.8% | 26.0% | 5.58M | 6.2% | 71.4 | 34.5% |
| 2007 | $7.42B | $1,350 | $3,891 | 5.1% | 11.1% | 30.9% | 5.5M | 4.9% | 71.2 | 33.1% |
| 2006 | $6.76B | $1,248 | $3,658 | 4.2% | 9.1% | 51.2% | 5.42M | 5.3% | 71.0 | 31.3% |
| 2005 | $6.32B | $1,183 | $3,456 | 4.3% | 9.6% | 66.6% | 5.34M | 5.4% | 70.4 | 24.4% |
| 2004 | $5.79B | $1,099 | $3,255 | 5.3% | 8.5% | 84.0% | 5.27M | 6.4% | 69.5 | 23.1% |
| 2003 | $5.32B | $1,021 | $3,046 | 2.5% | 5.3% | 109.5% | 5.21M | 7.6% | 68.7 | 20.7% |
| 2002 | $5.22B | $1,014 | $2,948 | 0.8% | 3.8% | 110.4% | 5.15M | 7.5% | 68.0 | 18.8% |
| 2001 | $5.35B | $1,052 | $2,917 | 3.0% | 6.0% | 87.5% | 5.09M | 7.2% | 67.0 | 19.0% |
| 2000 | $5.11B | $1,017 | $2,806 | 4.1% | 7.1% | 95.2% | 5.02M | 7.2% | 66.4 | 20.1% |
| 1999 | $4.86B | $980 | $2,672 | 7.0% | 11.2% | 99.8% | 4.95M | 7.2% | 65.9 | 18.5% |
| 1998 | $4.64B | $949 | $2,497 | 3.7% | 13.0% | 86.5% | 4.88M | 7.2% | 64.1 | 19.3% |
| 1997 | $4.39B | $913 | $2,418 | 4.0% | 9.2% | 86.4% | 4.81M | 7.1% | 65.5 | 19.4% |
| 1996 | $4.31B | $911 | $2,325 | 6.3% | 11.7% | 4.73M | 7.1% | 65.2 | 16.8% | |
| 1995 | $4.14B | $892 | $2,187 | 5.9% | 11.1% | 4.64M | 7.4% | 64.9 | 16.1% | |
| 1994 | $3.86B | $849 | $2,064 | 3.3% | 3.7% | 4.55M | 7.7% | 64.5 | 13.1% | |
| 1993 | $1.76B | $394 | $1,998 | −0.4% | 13.5% | 4.45M | 7.8% | 64.1 | 20.4% | |
| 1992 | $1.79B | $411 | $2,003 | 0.4% | 21.9% | 4.36M | 7.8% | 63.7 | 17.3% | |
| 1991 | $1.49B | $350 | $1,995 | −0.2% | 116.6% | 4.26M | 7.9% | 63.3 | 21.8% | |
| 1990 | $1.01B | $243 | $1,979 | −0.1% | 3,004% | 4.16M | 62.5 | 24.9% | ||
| 1989 | $1.01B | $249 | −1.7% | 7,429% | 4.07M | 61.9 | 32.5% | |||
| 1988 | $2.63B | $662 | −12.4% | 4,775% | 3.97M | 59.8 | 18.0% | |||
| 1987 | $3.85B | $992 | −0.7% | 13,110% | 3.88M | 57.3 | 11.8% | |||
| 1986 | $2.89B | $761 | −1.0% | 885.2% | 3.79M | 57.6 | 12.8% | |||
| 1985 | $2.68B | $724 | −4.1% | 571.4% | 3.71M | 56.4 | 14.8% | |||
| 1984 | $3.12B | $861 | −1.6% | 141.3% | 3.62M | 56.1 | 16.4% | |||
| 1983 | $2.75B | $780 | 4.6% | 33.6% | 3.53M | 56.9 | 19.4% | |||
| 1982 | $2.45B | $714 | −0.8% | 28.5% | 3.44M | 58.7 | 16.0% | |||
| 1981 | $2.47B | $740 | 5.4% | 23.8% | 3.35M | 58.3 | 22.3% | |||
| 1980 | $2.14B | $659 | 4.6% | 35.1% | 3.25M | 58.0 | 24.2% | |||
| 1979 | $1.57B | $495 | −26.5% | 3.16M | 50.8 | 42.0% | ||||
| 1978 | $2.13B | $691 | −7.8% | 3.08M | 53.5 | 34.4% | ||||
| 1977 | $2.23B | $744 | 8.4% | 2.99M | 56.1 | 32.1% | ||||
| 1976 | $1.84B | $633 | 5.2% | 2.9M | 56.1 | 33.0% | ||||
| 1975 | $1.58B | $561 | −0.2% | 2.82M | 55.8 | 28.0% | ||||
| 1974 | $1.52B | $557 | 14.2% | 2.73M | 55.4 | 29.1% | ||||
| 1973 | $1.09B | $413 | 6.4% | 2.65M | 55.0 | 28.2% | ||||
| 1972 | $879M | $341 | 2.2% | 2.57M | 48.0 | 35.3% | ||||
| 1971 | $829M | $331 | 3.3% | 2.5M | 54.2 | 26.3% | ||||
| 1970 | $779M | $321 | 1.4% | 2.42M | 53.8 | 26.7% | ||||
| 1969 | $750M | $319 | 6.2% | 2.35M | 53.4 | 24.4% | ||||
| 1968 | $693M | $304 | 1.3% | 2.28M | 52.9 | 26.7% | ||||
| 1967 | $657M | $298 | 7.0% | 2.21M | 52.3 | 26.5% | ||||
| 1966 | $607M | $284 | 3.3% | 2.14M | 51.6 | 27.1% | ||||
| 1965 | $564M | $272 | 9.5% | 2.07M | 50.6 | 29.3% | ||||
| 1964 | $347M | $173 | 11.7% | 2.01M | 49.6 | 28.9% | ||||
| 1963 | $297M | $152 | 10.9% | 1.95M | 48.8 | 28.8% | ||||
| 1962 | $269M | $142 | 10.9% | 1.89M | 48.0 | 26.4% | ||||
| 1961 | $244M | $133 | 7.5% | 1.84M | 47.3 | 23.4% | ||||
| 1960 | $227M | $127 | 1.78M | 46.4 | 23.7% |
e: IMF estimate; f: IMF forecast. Inflation: IMF data for 1980–1999, World Bank for the other years.
Nearby economies in Latin America & Caribbean
Nearest by distance between capitals, with GDP per capita.
Antigua and Barbuda · Argentina · Aruba · Bahamas · Barbados · Belize · Bolivia · Brazil · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Chile · Colombia · Costa Rica · Cuba · Curaçao · Dominica · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · El Salvador · Grenada · Guatemala · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · Jamaica · Mexico · Nicaragua · Panama · Paraguay · Peru · Puerto Rico · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Saint Martin (French part) · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Sint Maarten · Suriname · Trinidad and Tobago · Turks and Caicos Islands · U.S. Virgin Islands · Uruguay · Venezuela
Rankings
GDP by country · GDP per capita · Real GDP growth · Inflation by country · Government debt to GDP · Stock market to GDP · Population by country · Unemployment by country
Data and methods
- GDP: gross domestic product in current US dollars, converted from the local currency at market exchange rates (World Bank); not adjusted for inflation.
- Purchasing power parity (PPP): GDP per person in international dollars, which buy the same basket of goods and services in every country. It compares living standards across countries in the same year; it is not adjusted for inflation over time.
- In 2025 dollars: the charts can remove US inflation (US consumer price index, annual average) so that dollar amounts from different years compare in today's money. Exchange rate swings still show.
- Growth and inflation: World Bank data (calendar years). Years the World Bank does not cover yet, and the estimates and forecasts, come from the IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2026): its forecasts start in 2026, and the years after a country's last actual year are IMF estimates.
- Government debt: gross debt of the general government (central, state and local government and social security funds) as a percentage of GDP, IMF. The World Bank's central government debt is narrower and covers fewer countries.
- Stock market capitalization: the end-of-year value of domestic companies listed on the country's exchanges (World Federation of Exchanges via the World Bank; before 2016, Standard & Poor's), as a percentage of GDP: the “Buffett indicator”. Investment funds are excluded, and so are companies listed only abroad; companies from elsewhere that list on an exchange count for its country (Hong Kong lists many mainland Chinese companies).
- Unemployment: ILO modeled estimates (share of the labor force); comparable across countries, but they may differ from national figures.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)