Nicaragua — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Nicaragua: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Nicaragua is in Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras. It covers 130,370 sq km. Terrain: extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes. Climate: tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands.
| Capital | Managua |
|---|---|
| Population | 6,739,380 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $52.989 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $7,700 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 3.6% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 4.6% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 4.6% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 33.3% of GDP (2017 est.) |
| Exports | $8.135 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $11.437 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 74.7 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 29.5 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 59.8% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Independence | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
| Languages | Spanish (official) 99.5%, Indigenous 0.3%, Portuguese 0.1%, other 0.1% (2020 est.) |
Nicaragua’s GDP is $52.989 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $19.694 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 3.6% (2024 est.). See where Nicaragua ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
Jul–Sep 2026 came and went without leaving a mark on the country's trajectory. Continuity, not change, is the story.
For a small or mid-sized state, that is often the good outcome: no shock to absorb, no crisis to manage.
- What our model rewards: unemployment near 4.6% — work for whoever wants it; public debt under 33% of GDP — room to maneuver
Gold, Silver, Copper, Tungsten, Lead, Zinc, Timber.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 86.5% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | 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.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 10.66 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 21.3 TWh (2023) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 4.4 TWh (2023) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 3,124 kWh per person (2023) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Oil 35.5%, Hydro 14.9%, Wind 12.8%, Solar 0.7% (2023) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 64.5% (2023) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 288.3 gCO2/kWh (2023) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2023.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $8.135 billion (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $11.437 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $3.3 billion (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, knit and woven apparel, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood, electric wire harness manufacturing, mining |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Daniel Ortega — President. President Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007)
Nicaragua maintains 30 embassies and 5 consulates abroad, hosts 32 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, OAS Washington. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 30 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 5 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 32 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, OAS Washington |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, diplomatic & consular networks database, Mar 2026 report (of-country) https://zenodo.org/records/18917562 ; Jan 2026 report (in-city ranking) https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 910 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 39 (registration prefix YN) |
| Major seaports | Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto Sandino |
Major airports
Augusto C. Sandino (Managua) International Airport (MGA) — Managua; Bluefields Airport (BEF) — Bluefields; Puerto Cabezas Airport (PUZ) — Puerto Cabezas.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28)
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Nicaragua.
Historical timeline of Nicaragua
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Nicaragua — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Nicaragua's power score?
Nicaragua has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.