Nicaragua - NI - NIC - NCA - Central America and the Caribbean

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Kevin Michael O'REILLY (since 28 June 2023)

embassy: Kilometer 5.5 Carretera Sur, Managua

mailing address: 3240 Managua Place, Washington DC  20521-3240

telephone: [505] 2252-7100,

FAX: [505] 2252-7250

email address and website:
ACS.Managua@state.gov

https://ni.usembassy.gov/

0-14 years: 25.1% (male 855,256/female 818,714)

15-64 years: 68.9% (male 2,240,297/female 2,360,244)

65 years and over: 6% (2024 est.) (male 178,347/female 224,090)

13 00 N, 85 00 W

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

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

slightly larger than Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than New York State

18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; tour of duty 18-36 months (2024)

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. 

deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; drought

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

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

0.5% of GDP (2024 est.)
0.6% of GDP (2023 est.)
0.6% of GDP (2022 est.)
0.6% of GDP (2021 est.)
0.6% of GDP (2020 est.)

24.9% (2016 est.)

note: % of population with income below national poverty line

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

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

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

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

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

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

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

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

note: both the military and the Nicaraguan National Police (Policía Nacional de Nicaragua or PNN) report directly to the president; Parapolice, which are non-uniformed, armed, and masked units with marginal tactical training and loose hierarchical organization, act in coordination with government security forces and report to the National Police; they have been used to suppress anti-government protesters

revenues: $3.396 billion (2022 est.)

expenditures: $2.609 billion (2022 est.)

note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

name: Managua

geographic coordinates: 12 08 N, 86 15 W

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

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

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

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

910 km

history: several previous; latest adopted 19 November 1986, effective 9 January 1987

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

cordobas (NIO) per US dollar -

Exchange rates:
36.624 (2024 est.)
36.441 (2023 est.)
35.874 (2022 est.)
35.171 (2021 est.)
34.342 (2020 est.)

chief of state: President Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007)

head of government: President Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

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)

most recent election date: 7 November 2021

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%

expected date of next election: 1 November 2026

note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

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 encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on the top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; the banner is based on the former blue-white-blue flag of the Federal Republic of Central America; the blue bands stand for the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, and the white band for the land between the two bodies of water

note: similar to the flag of El Salvador, which has a round emblem with the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars in an X pattern centered in the white band

USG identification:
major illicit drug-producing and/or drug-transit country (2025)

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

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

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

judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges elected by the National Assembly to serve 5-year staggered terms

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

total: 1,253 km

border countries (2): Costa Rica 313 km; Honduras 940 km

agricultural land: 42.3% (2022 est.)

arable land: 12.5% (2022 est.)

permanent crops: 2.5% (2022 est.)

permanent pasture: 27.4% (2022 est.)

forest: 26.7% (2022 est.)

other: 31% (2022 est.)

civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts

legislature name: National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional)

legislative structure: unicameral

number of seats: 91 (all directly elected)

electoral system: proportional representation

scope of elections: full renewal

term in office: 5 years

most recent election date: 11/7/2021

parties elected and seats per party: Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) (75); Liberal and Constitutionalist Party (PLC) (9); Other (6)

percentage of women in chamber: 54.9%

expected date of next election: November 2026

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

continental shelf: natural prolongation

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 Day, 15 September (1821)

noun: Nicaraguan(s)

adjective: Nicaraguan

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

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

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

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)

16 years of age; universal

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

presidential republic

conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua

conventional short form: Nicaragua

local long form: República de Nicaragua

local short form: Nicaragua

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)

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

Central America and the Caribbean

1,990 sq km (2012)

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

chancery: 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 939-6570

FAX: [1] (202) 939-6545

email address and website:
mperalta@cancilleria.gob.ni

United States of America | ConsuladoDeNicaragua.com

consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco

percent of population: 58% (2023 est.)

.ni

$19.694 billion (2024 est.)

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

164.52 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

urban population: 59.8% of total population (2023)

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

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)

improved:

urban: 97.5% of population

rural: 62.6% of population

total: 83.2% of population

unimproved:

urban: 2.5% of population

rural: 37.4% of population

total: 16.8% of population (2020 est.)

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

lyrics/music: Salomon Ibarra MAYORGA/traditional, arranged by Luis Abraham DELGADILLO

history: adopted in 1971, but the music was approved in 1918 and the lyrics in 1939; the tune was originally from Spain and was used as an anthem without lyrics from the 1830s until 1876

1.095 million MANAGUA (capital) (2023)

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

0.68 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

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

turquoise-browed motmot (bird)

19.2 years (2011/12 est.)

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29

80.4% (2011/12)

household consumption: 80.6% (2024 est.)

government consumption: 12.3% (2024 est.)

investment in fixed capital: 22.9% (2024 est.)

investment in inventories: 1.8% (2024 est.)

exports of goods and services: 40.5% (2024 est.)

imports of goods and services: -58.1% (2024 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

total dependency ratio: 45.1 (2024 est.)

youth dependency ratio: 36.4 (2024 est.)

elderly dependency ratio: 8.7 (2024 est.)

potential support ratio: 11.4 (2024 est.)

citizenship by birth: yes

citizenship by descent only: yes

dual citizenship recognized: no, except in cases where bilateral agreements exist

residency requirement for naturalization: 4 years

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

electrification - total population: 86.5% (2022 est.)

electrification - urban areas: 100%

electrification - rural areas: 66.3%

YN

improved:

urban: 89.9% of population

rural: 66.5% of population

total: 80.3% of population

unimproved:

urban: 10.1% of population

rural: 33.5% of population

total: 19.7% of population (2020 est.)

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

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.)

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

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.

note: English and indigenous languages found on the Caribbean coast

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

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

total: 12 years (2023 est.)

male: 12 years (2023 est.)

female: 12 years (2023 est.)

highest point: Mogoton 2,085 m

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

mean elevation: 298 m

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/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/nicaragua/ 

9.7% of GDP (2021)

17.8% of national budget (2022 est.)

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)

approximately 12,000 active Armed Forces (2025)

the military's air and ground force inventories include mostly secondhand Russian or Soviet-era equipment; its naval force has a miscellaneous mix of patrol boats from several foreign suppliers, as well as some commercial vessels converted into gunboats domestically (2024)

note: in 2024, the US imposed restrictions on the import and export of US origin defense articles and defense services destined for or originating in Nicaragua

municipal: 286 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial: 50 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural: 1.08 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually: 1,528,816 tons (2010 est.)

particulate matter emissions: 16 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions: 5.59 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions: 6.46 megatons (2020 est.)

fresh water lake(s): Lago de Nicaragua - 8,150 sq km; Lago de Managua - 1,040 sq km

total World Heritage Sites: 2 (both cultural)

selected World Heritage Site locales: Ruins of León Viejo; León Cathedral

imports: 22 metric tons (2023 est.)

fossil fuels: 35.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

solar: 0.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

wind: 12.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

hydroelectricity: 14.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

geothermal: 15.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

biomass and waste: 20.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

total petroleum production: 200 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption: 28,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

0.89 (2024 est.)

56% (2023 est.)

26.6% of GDP (2024 est.)
26.2% of GDP (2023 est.)
20.6% of GDP (2022 est.)

note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

stated mission of the space agency is to promote the development of space activities with the aim of broadening the country’s capacities in the fields of 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 (ALCE) (2024)

note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in the Space Programs reference guide

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) (2024)

total global geoparks and regional networks: 1

global geoparks and regional networks: Rio Coco (2023)

total ports: 5 (2024)

large: 0

medium: 0

small: 2

very small: 3

ports with oil terminals: 4

key ports: Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto Sandino

blue, white

3.225 million (2024 est.)

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

total: 9% (2024 est.)

male: 7.8% (2024 est.)

female: 12% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

-1.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

total: 29 years (2024 est.)

male: 28.1 years

female: 29.9 years

$6.753 billion (2023 est.)

note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

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

$6.105 billion (2024 est.)
$5.447 billion (2023 est.)
$4.404 billion (2022 est.)

note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

33.3% of GDP (2017 est.)

note: official data; data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by Government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as retirement, medical care, and unemployment, debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions; Nicaragua rebased its GDP figures in 2012, which reduced the figures for debt as a percentage of GDP

1.83 children born/woman (2024 est.)

4.6% (2024 est.)
4.8% (2023 est.)
5% (2022 est.)

note: % of labor force seeking employment

total: 6,676,948 (2024 est.)

male: 3,273,900

female: 3,403,048

3.806 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

from coal and metallurgical coke: 2 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids: 3.806 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

total : 130,370 sq km

land: 119,990 sq km

water: 10,380 sq km

19.9% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

$52.989 billion (2024 est.)
$51.153 billion (2023 est.)
$48.985 billion (2022 est.)

note: data in 2021 dollars

39 (2025)

total: 14.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male: 15.9 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 12.8 deaths/1,000 live births

total subscriptions: 7.22 million (2023 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 97 (2021 est.)

4.6% (2024 est.)
8.4% (2023 est.)
10.5% (2022 est.)

note: annual % change based on consumer prices

$817.618 million (2024 est.)
$1.465 billion (2023 est.)
-$459.6 million (2022 est.)

note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

$7,700 (2024 est.)
$7,500 (2023 est.)
$7,300 (2022 est.)

note: data in 2021 dollars

total: 371,000 (2023 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 5 (2023 est.)

23.7% (2016)

10.66 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

5.1 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

16.4 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

installed generating capacity: 1.849 million kW (2023 est.)

consumption: 4.654 billion kWh (2023 est.)

imports: 1.125 billion kWh (2023 est.)

transmission/distribution losses: 839 million kWh (2023 est.)

total: 5 (2023)

by type: general cargo 1, oil tanker 1, other 3

$11.437 billion (2024 est.)
$10.519 billion (2023 est.)
$10.213 billion (2022 est.)

note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

$8.135 billion (2024 est.)
$8.248 billion (2023 est.)
$7.87 billion (2022 est.)

note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

total subscriptions: 234,000 (2023 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3 (2023 est.)

total: 3.69 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer: 1.57 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits: 2.1 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total population: 74.7 years (2024 est.)

male: 73.2 years

female: 76.4 years

3.6% (2024 est.)
4.4% (2023 est.)
3.6% (2022 est.)

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

3.6% (2024 est.)

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

agriculture: 14.4% (2024 est.)

industry: 27.6% (2024 est.)

services: 46.8% (2024 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

2.9% of GDP (2023 est.)

17.7% national budget (2023 est.)

0.95% (2024 est.)