GFmag Online Readers Survey 2012
Nicaragua


Nicaragua Country Report: GDP data and GDP forecasts; economic, financial and trade information; the best banks in Nicaragua; country and population overview

DATA ON GDP AND ECONOMIC INFORMATION
Central bankCentral Bank of Nicaragua
International ReservesUS$ 1.711 billion (Source: IMF; Data updated: November 2011)
Gross Domestic Product - GDPUS$ 7.05 billion (2010 estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)18.533 billion of International dollars (2010 estimate)
Real GDP growth
20002001200220032004200520062007
4.1%3%0.8%2.5%5.3%4.3%4.2%3.1%
2008200920102011*
2.8%-1.5%4.5%3.5%

*Estimate

GDP per capita - current pricesUS$ 1,197 (2007 estimate)
GDP per capita - PPP$3,147 International Dollars (2007 estimate)
GDP (PPP) - share of world total
19801990200020102015**
0.04%0.03%0.03%0.02%0.02%

**Forecast

GDP - composition by sector
  • agriculture: 19% 
  • industry: 26.1% 
  • services: 55% (2011 estimate)

    • (Data released on February 2012)

Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (% of GDP)N/A

(Data released on November 2010)

Inflation
2008200920102011*
19.8%(2008)3.7%5.5%8.7%

*Estimate

Unemployment rate
2008200920102011*
10.5%9.6%9.5%(2009)9%

*Estimate

Household saving ratesN/A

(Data released on November 2010)

Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
20072008200920102011*
83%76.2%82.9%82.3%79.6%

*Estimate

Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
2007200820092010*2011**
2.1%0%-2.1%-0.1%-0.5%

*Estimate    **Forecast

Government bond ratings

Standard & Poor's: N/A

Moody's rating: B3

Moody's outlook: STA

(Foreign Currency Government Bond Ratings; Data last updated Nov 2010)

Market value of publicly traded shares
200720082009
N/AN/AN/A
Largest companies in NicaraguaN/A
DATA ON TRADE AND COMPETITIVENESS
Current account balanceUS$ -1.2 billion (2010 estimate)(After 2008)
Current account balance by percentage of GDP-17.6% of GDP (2010 estimate)(2009)
Exports as percent of GDP

(Exports of goods and services)

33.8% (2007)

(Data released on December 2010)

Shares in world total merchandising export0.01%(2007)

(Data were released in Nov 2011 and refer to 2010)

Shares in world total commercial services export0.01%(2007)

(Data were released in Nov 2011 and refer to 2010)

Total exportsUS$3.182 billion f.o.b. (2010 estimate)
Export commoditiescoffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts
Total importsUS$5.279 billion f.o.b. (2008 estimate)
Import commoditiesconsumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products
Exports - major partnersUS 31.7%, El Salvador 14%, Honduras 9.3%, Costa Rica 7.2%, Canada 5.8%, Guatemala 5.5%, Mexico 4.8% (2007)
Imports - major partnersUS 22.5%, Mexico 13.5%, Costa Rica 8.4%, Venezuela 6.4%, Guatemala 6.2%, El Salvador 4.8% (2007)
FDI inflows
200820092010
US$626 millionUS$434 million(2009)US$508 million(2009)
FDI outflows
200820092010
US$16 millionUS$15 millionUS$14 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
2008200920102011
N/AN/A(2009)N/A(2009)N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2008

(Acquiring company, Acquired company, Country of the acquired company, Value of the deal)

N/A

(for a monthly update on M&A click here )

Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2010

(Acquiring company, Acquired company, Country of the acquired company, Value of the deal)

N/A(2008 estimate)

(for a monthly update on M&A click here )

Best countries for doing business

World Bank/IFC Doing Business Project

(Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business, from 1 – 183. A high ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.)

Overall ranking: 117 out of 183 countries(2009) (2010)

Subcategories:

Starting a business: 97 out of 183 countries(2009)

Registering property: 142 out of 183 countries

Paying Taxes: 158 out of 183 countries

Getting credit: 89 out of 183 countries

Protecting investors: 93 out of 183 countries

Trading across border: 85 out of 183 countries

Enforcing Contracts: 66 out of 183 countries

(2010)

Global competitiveness ranking
(ranking by country on a basis of 142, the first is the best)		115

(2011/2012)

Index of Economic Freedom

WSJ and Heritage Foundation

Ranking: 98 Score: 58.8 (Mostly Unfree) (2009)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed )

COUNTRY AND POPULATION OVERVIEW
Time zoneUTC-6
Total area 120,340 km2 (2006)
CapitalManagua (2009)
Currencygold cordobas (NIO) (2009)
Government typerepublic (2009)
LanguagesSpanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census)
ReligionsRoman Catholic 58.5%, Evangelical 21.6%, Moravian 1.6%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 1.7%, none 15.7% (2005 census)
Total population
1980199020002010*2015**
N/AN/AN/A5.82 million6.26 million

*Estimate    **Forecast

Urban population as % of total population
1960198020002009
39.6%49.9%54.7%57%
Population median age21.0 years (2006)
Population growth rate1.3% (2009)
Life expectancy73 years (2007)
Adult literacy81% (2000/2007)
% of population living on less than $2 a day31.86% (2011)
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)

52.3 (2005)

(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)

Freedom House rating

Political Rights:4
Civil Liberties:4 (2010)

(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free)

Total telephone subscribers as % of population

69.6% (2010)

(sum of fixed telephone lines and mobile cellular subscribers)

Internet users as % of total population10% (Data were released in 2011 and refer to 2010)
Cost of living index

(ranking by city on a basis of 214; the 1st is the most expensive and the 214th is the least expensive)

Managua: 213th (2011)

CO2 emissions
(Metric tons of CO2 per capita)

0.7642 (2008)

GLOBAL FINANCE RANKINGS AND AWARDS

WORLD'S BEST EMERGING MARKET BANKS

2012:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Banco Lafise Bancentro (National, 2012)
ARTICLES AND COUNTRIES REPORTS FROM GLOBAL FINANCE ARCHIVE