No-Consensus Forecast
Political strife is hammering Nicaragua’s economy. Can the nation’s stakeholders return to common ground?
Nicaragua GDP and Economic Data
Country Report 2017 - 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. Rankings of Nicaragua best banks and safest banks are also available.
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International Reserves
USD 2.5 billion (2015)
International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved January 2017
Gross Domestic Product - GDP
USD 14.3 billion (2017, estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
Intl$ 35.7 billion (2017, estimate)
Real GDP growth
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
| 4.2% | 5.3% | 2.9% | -2.8% | 3.2% | 6.2% | 5.6% |
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | 2017* | ||
| 4.5% | 4.6% | 4.9% | 4.5% | 4.3% |
*Estimate
GDP (PPP) - share of world total
| 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2017* |
| 0.05% | 0.03% | 0.03% | 0.03% | 0.03% |
*Estimate
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GDP - composition by sector
- agriculture: 16.9%
- industry: 24.3%
- services: 58.8%
(2016 estimate)
Inflation
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | 2017* |
| 7.1% | 6.0% | 4.0% | 6.2% | 7.3% |
*Estimate
Unemployment rate
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015* | 2016* | 2017* |
| 5.7% | 6.8% | 6.8% | 6.9% | 7.3% |
*Estimate
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | 2017* |
| 29.5% | 29.3% | 29.4% | 30.5% | 31.2% |
*Estimate
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | 2017* |
| -0.7% | -1.2% | -1.4% | -1.7% | -1.6% |
*Estimate
Government bond ratings
Standard & Poor's: B+
Moody's: B2
Standard & Poor's / Moody's (Updated January 2017)
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Market value of publicly traded shares
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source
Current account balance by percentage of GDP
-8.7% (2017 estimate)
Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services)
37.5% (2015)
Shares in world total merchandising export
0.03% (2015)
Shares in world total commercial services export
0.03% (2015)
Export commodities
Coffee, beef, gold, sugar, peanuts, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, cigars, automobile wiring harnesses, textiles, apparel, cotton
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Import commodities
Consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products
Exports - major partners
US 56.5%, Mexico 10.7%, Venezuela 5.4%, El Salvador 4.3% (2015)
Imports - major partners
US 19.9%, Mexico 14.9%, China 10.6%, Venezuela 7%, Costa Rica 7%, El Salvador 5.7%, Guatemala 5.6%, Netherlands Antilles 5.5% (2015)
FDI inflows
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| USD 816 million | USD 884 million | USD 835 million |
FDI outflows
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| USD 116 million | USD 80 million | USD 51 million |
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
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
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.
Overall ranking: 127 out of 190 countries (2017)
Subcategories:
Starting a business: 128 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 83 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 146 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 101 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 145 out of 190 countries
Trading Across Borders: 73 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 176 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 168 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 99 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 103 out of 190 countries
Source
Global competitiveness ranking
103 out of 138 countries
(2016-2017)
Index of Economic Freedom
Ranking: 109 / Score: 58.59 (Mostly unfree) (2016)
(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)
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Languages
Spanish (official) 95.3%, Miskito 2.2%, Mestizo of the Caribbean coast 2%, other 0.5%
Note: English and indigenous languages found on the Caribbean coast (2005 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic 58.5%, Protestant 23.2% (Evangelical 21.6%, Moravian 1.6%), Jehovah's Witnesses 0.9%, other 1.6%, none 15.7% (2005 est.)
Total population
| 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2016* | 2021* |
| N/A | 5.098 million | 5.923 million | 6.342 million | 6.705 million |
*Estimate
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Urban population as % of total population
| 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2015 |
| 40% | 50% | 55% | 59% |
Literacy
Total population: 82.8%
Male: 82.4%
Female: 83.2% (2015 est.)
(age 15 and over can read and write)
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day
5.3% (2014)
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)
47.1 (2014)
(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)
Source
Freedom House rating
Political Rights: 5
Civil Liberties: 4 (2017)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Source
Total telephone subscribers as % of population
Fixed 5.66% Mobile 116.11% (2015)
(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)