Central America :: Nicaragua

- Introduction :: Nicaragua
- Background:
  The Pacific coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony from Panama 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. Violent opposition to governmental manipulation and corruption spread to all classes by 1978 and resulted in a short-lived civil war that brought the Marxist Sandinista guerrillas led by Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra to power in 1979. 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, former Sandinista President Daniel ORTEGA was elected president in 2006, 2011, and most recently in 2016. Municipal, regional, and national-level elections since 2008 have been marred by widespread irregularities. Democratic institutions have weakened under the ORTEGA administration as the president has garnered full control over all branches of government, especially after cracking down on a nationwide antigovernment protest movement in 2018.
  NICARAGUA SUMMARY: PDF
- Geography :: Nicaragua
- Location:
  Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
  Geographic coordinates:
  13 00 N, 85 00 W
  Map references:
  Central America and the Caribbean
  Area:
  total: 130,370 sq km
  land: 119,990 sq km
  water: 10,380 sq km
  country comparison to the world: 99
  Area - comparative:
  slightly larger than Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than New York state
  Area comparison map:
  The World Factbook Field Image Modal
  Central America :: Nicaragua Print
  Image Description

  slightly larger than Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than New York state

  Land boundaries:
  total: 1,253 km
  border countries (2): Costa Rica 313 km, Honduras 940 km
  Coastline:
  910 km
  Maritime claims:
  territorial sea: 12 nm
  contiguous zone: 24 nm
  continental shelf: natural prolongation
  Climate:
  tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
  Terrain:
  extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes
  Elevation:
  mean elevation: 298 m
  elevation extremes: 0 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean
  2085 highest point: Mogoton
  Natural resources:
  gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish
  Land use:
  agricultural land: 42.2% (2011 est.)
  arable land: 12.5% (2011 est.) / permanent crops: 2.5% (2011 est.) / permanent pasture: 27.2% (2011 est.)
  forest: 25.3% (2011 est.)
  other: 32.5% (2011 est.)
  Irrigated land:
  1,990 sq km (2012)
  Population distribution:
  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
  Natural hazards:

  destructive earthquakes; volcanoes; landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes

  volcanism: significant volcanic activity; Cerro Negro (728 m), which last erupted in 1999, 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

  Environment - current issues:
  deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; drought
  Environment - international agreements:
  party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
  signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
  Geography - note:
  largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua
- People and Society :: Nicaragua
- Population:
  6,085,213 (July 2018 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 111
  Nationality:
  noun: Nicaraguan(s)
  adjective: Nicaraguan
  Ethnic groups:
  mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5%
  Languages:
  Spanish (official) 95.3%, Miskito 2.2%, Mestizo of the Caribbean coast 2%, other 0.5% (2005 est.)

  note: English and indigenous languages found on the Caribbean coast

  Religions:
  Roman Catholic 50%, Evangelical 33.2%, other 2.9%, unspecified 13.2%, none 0.7% (2017 est.)
  Demographic profile:

  Despite being one of the poorest countries in Latin America, Nicaragua has improved its access to potable water and sanitation and has ameliorated its life expectancy, infant and child mortality, and immunization rates. However, income distribution is very uneven, and the poor, agriculturalists, and indigenous people continue to have less access to healthcare services. Nicaragua's total fertility rate has fallen from around 6 children per woman in 1980 to below replacement level today, but the high birth rate among adolescents perpetuates a cycle of poverty and low educational attainment.

  Nicaraguans emigrate primarily to Costa Rica and to a lesser extent the United States. Nicaraguan men have been migrating seasonally to Costa Rica to harvest bananas and coffee since the early 20th century. Political turmoil, civil war, and natural disasters from the 1970s through the 1990s dramatically increased the flow of refugees and permanent migrants seeking jobs, higher wages, and better social and healthcare benefits. Since 2000, Nicaraguan emigration to Costa Rica has slowed and stabilized. Today roughly 300,000 Nicaraguans are permanent residents of Costa Rica - about 75% of the foreign population - and thousands more migrate seasonally for work, many illegally.

  Age structure:
  0-14 years: 26.65% (male 827,585 /female 794,086)
  15-24 years: 20.67% (male 632,847 /female 624,811)
  25-54 years: 41.04% (male 1,186,467 /female 1,310,957)
  55-64 years: 6.19% (male 173,674 /female 202,765)
  65 years and over: 5.46% (male 147,324 /female 184,697) (2018 est.)
  population pyramid:
  The World Factbook Field Image Modal
  Central America :: Nicaragua Print
  Image Description
  This is the population pyramid for Nicaragua. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.
  For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.
  Dependency ratios:
  total dependency ratio: 54.1 (2015 est.)
  youth dependency ratio: 46.3 (2015 est.)
  elderly dependency ratio: 7.8 (2015 est.)
  potential support ratio: 12.8 (2015 est.)
  Median age:
  total: 26.2 years
  male: 25.3 years
  female: 27.1 years (2018 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 150
  Population growth rate:
  0.97% (2018 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 113
  Birth rate:
  17.5 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 101
  Death rate:
  5.2 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 191
  Net migration rate:
  -2.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 171
  Population distribution:
  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
  Urbanization:
  urban population: 58.5% of total population (2018)
  rate of urbanization: 1.45% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
  Major urban areas - population:
  1.048 million MANAGUA (capital) (2018)
  Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
  0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
  15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
  25-54 years: 0.9 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
  55-64 years: 0.86 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
  65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
  total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
  Mother's mean age at first birth:
  19.2 years (2011/12 est.)

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

  Maternal mortality rate:
  150 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 60
  Infant mortality rate:
  total: 17.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)
  male: 20.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)
  female: 15 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 89
  Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 73.7 years (2018 est.)
  male: 71.5 years (2018 est.)
  female: 76.1 years (2018 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 134
  Total fertility rate:
  1.87 children born/woman (2018 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 140
  Contraceptive prevalence rate:
  80.4% (2011/12)
  Health expenditures:
  9% of GDP (2014)
  country comparison to the world: 39
  Physicians density:
  0.91 physicians/1,000 population (2014)
  Hospital bed density:
  0.9 beds/1,000 population (2014)
  Drinking water source:
  improved: urban: 99.3% of population
  rural: 69.4% of population
  total: 87% of population
  unimproved: urban: 0.7% of population
  rural: 30.6% of population
  total: 13% of population (2015 est.)
  Sanitation facility access:
  improved: urban: 76.5% of population (2015 est.)
  rural: 55.7% of population (2015 est.)
  total: 67.9% of population (2015 est.)
  unimproved: urban: 23.5% of population (2015 est.)
  rural: 44.3% of population (2015 est.)
  total: 32.1% of population (2015 est.)
  HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0.2% (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 102
  HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  9,000 (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 103
  HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  <500 (2017 est.)
  Major infectious diseases:
  degree of risk: high (2016)
  food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever (2016)
  vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria (2016)

  note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus

  Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
  23.7% (2016)
  country comparison to the world: 63
  Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
  4.6% (2012)
  country comparison to the world: 85
  Education expenditures:
  4.5% of GDP (2010)
  country comparison to the world: 96
  Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
  total population: 82.8% (2015 est.)
  male: 82.4% (2015 est.)
  female: 83.2% (2015 est.)
  Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
  total: 8.5% (2014 est.)
  male: 6.4% (2014 est.)
  female: 12.9% (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 136
- Government :: Nicaragua
- Country name:
  conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua
  conventional short form: Nicaragua
  local long form: Republica de Nicaragua
  local short form: Nicaragua
  etymology: Nicarao was the name of the largest indigenous settlement at the time of Spanish arrival; conquistador Gil GONZALEZ Davila, who explored the area (1622-23), combined the name of the community with the Spanish word "agua" (water), referring to the two large lakes in the west of the country (Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua)
  Government type:
  presidential republic
  Capital:
  name: Managua
  geographic coordinates: 12 08 N, 86 15 W
  time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
  Administrative divisions:
  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
  Independence:
  15 September 1821 (from Spain)
  National holiday:
  Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
  Constitution:
  history: several previous; latest adopted 19 November 1986, effective 9 January 1987 (2018)
  amendments: proposed by the president of the republic or supported by at least half 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; amended several times, last in 2014 (2018)
  Legal system:
  civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts
  International law organization participation:
  accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt
  Citizenship:
  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
  Suffrage:
  16 years of age; universal
  Judicial branch:
  highest courts: 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 military courts
  Executive branch:
  chief of state: President Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007); Vice President Rosario MURILLO Zambrana (since 10 January 2017); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
  head of government: President Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007); Vice President Rosario MURILLO Zambrana (since 10 January 2017)
  cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
  elections/appointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by simple majority popular vote for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 6 November 2016 (next to be held by November 2021)
  election results: Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra reelected president; 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%
  Legislative branch:
  description: unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92 seats; 70 members in multi-seat constituencies and 20 members in a single nationwide constituency directly elected by proportional representation vote; 2 seats reserved for the previous president and the runner-up candidate in the previous presidential election; members serve 5-year terms)
  elections: last held on 6 November 2016 (next to be held by November 2021)
  election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FSLN 70, PLC 13, ALN 2, PLI 2, APRE 1, PC 1, YATAMA 1
  Political parties and leaders:
  Alliance for the Republic or APRE [Carlos CANALES]
  Conservative Party or PC [Alfredo CESAR]
  Independent Liberal Party or PLI [Jose del Carmen ALVARADO]
  Liberal Constitutionalist Party or PLC [Maria Haydee OSUNA]
  Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance or ALN [Alejandro MEJIA Ferreti]
  Sandinista National Liberation Front or FSLN [Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra]
  Sandinista Renovation Movement or MRS [Ana Margarita VIJIL]
  Sons of Mother Earth or YATAMA [Brooklin RIVERA]
  International organization participation:
  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, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
  Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Francisco Obadiah CAMPBELL Hooker (since 28 June 2010)
  chancery: 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
  telephone: [1] (202) 939-6570, 6573
  FAX: [1] (202) 939-6545
  consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
  Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Laura Farnsworth DOGU (since 9 November 2015)
  embassy: Kilometer 5.5 Carretera Sur, Managua
  mailing address: American Embassy Managua, APO AA 34021
  telephone: [505] 2252-7100, 2252-7888; 2252-7100 or 8767-7100 (after hours)
  FAX: [505] 2252-7250
  Flag description:
  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 features 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 symbolize the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, while the white band represents the land between the two bodies of water

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

  National symbol(s):
  turquoise-browed motmot (bird); national colors: blue, white
  National anthem:
  name: "Salve a ti, Nicaragua" (Hail to Thee, Nicaragua)
  lyrics/music: Salomon Ibarra MAYORGA/traditional, arranged by Luis Abraham DELGADILLO

  note: although only officially adopted in 1971, the music was approved in 1918 and the lyrics in 1939; the tune, originally from Spain, was used as an anthem for Nicaragua from the 1830s until 1876

- Economy :: Nicaragua
- Economy - overview:

  Nicaragua, the poorest country in Central America and the second poorest in the Western Hemisphere, has widespread underemployment and poverty. GDP growth of 4.5% in 2017 was insufficient to make a significant difference. Textiles and agriculture combined account for nearly 50% of Nicaragua's exports. Beef, coffee, and gold are Nicaragua’s top three export commodities.

  The Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement has been in effect since April 2006 and has expanded export opportunities for many Nicaraguan agricultural and manufactured goods.

  In 2013, the government granted a 50-year concession with the option for an additional 50 years to a newly formed Chinese-run company to finance and build an inter-oceanic canal and related projects, at an estimated cost of $50 billion. The canal construction has not started.

  GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $36.4 billion (2017 est.)
  $34.71 billion (2016 est.)
  $33.17 billion (2015 est.)

  note: data are in 2017 dollars

  country comparison to the world: 124
  GDP (official exchange rate):
  $13.81 billion (2017 est.) (2017 est.)
  GDP - real growth rate:
  4.9% (2017 est.)
  4.7% (2016 est.)
  4.8% (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 54
  GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $5,900 (2017 est.)
  $5,600 (2016 est.)
  $5,500 (2015 est.)

  note: data are in 2017 dollars

  country comparison to the world: 165
  Gross national saving:
  24% of GDP (2017 est.)
  23.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
  23.6% of GDP (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 69
  GDP - composition, by end use:
  household consumption: 69.9% (2017 est.)
  government consumption: 15.3% (2017 est.)
  investment in fixed capital: 28.1% (2017 est.)
  investment in inventories: 1.7% (2017 est.)
  exports of goods and services: 41.2% (2017 est.)
  imports of goods and services: -55.4% (2017 est.)
  GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
  agriculture: 15.5% (2017 est.)
  industry: 24.4% (2017 est.)
  services: 60% (2017 est.)
  Agriculture - products:
  coffee, bananas, sugarcane, rice, corn, tobacco, cotton, sesame, soya, beans, beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products, shrimp, lobsters, peanuts
  Industries:
  food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, knit and woven apparel, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood, electric wire harness manufacturing, mining
  Industrial production growth rate:
  3.5% (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 88
  Labor force:
  3.046 million (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 103
  Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture: 31%
  industry: 18%
  services: 50% (2011 est.)
  Unemployment rate:
  6.4% (2017 est.)
  6.2% (2016 est.)

  note: underemployment was 46.5% in 2008

  country comparison to the world: 95
  Population below poverty line:
  29.6% (2015 est.)
  Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: 47.1% (2014)
  highest 10%: 47.1% (2014)
  Distribution of family income - Gini index:
  47.1 (2014)
  45.8 (2009)
  country comparison to the world: 27
  Budget:
  revenues: 3.871 billion (2017 est.)
  expenditures: 4.15 billion (2017 est.)
  Taxes and other revenues:
  28% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 97
  Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
  -2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 106
  Public debt:
  33.3% of GDP (2017 est.)
  31.2% of GDP (2016 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

  country comparison to the world: 157
  Fiscal year:
  calendar year
  Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  3.9% (2017 est.)
  3.5% (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 153
  Central bank discount rate:
  3% (31 December 2010)
  country comparison to the world: 112
  Commercial bank prime lending rate:
  10.8% (31 December 2017 est.)
  11.44% (31 December 2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 76
  Stock of narrow money:
  $1.162 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
  $1.043 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 153
  Stock of broad money:
  $1.162 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
  $1.043 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 158
  Stock of domestic credit:
  $6.461 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
  $6.159 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 122
  Market value of publicly traded shares:
  $1.568 billion (31 December 2016)
  $1.209 billion (31 December 2015)
  $995 million (31 December 2014)
  country comparison to the world: 102
  Current account balance:
  -$694 million (2017 est.)
  -$989 million (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 127
  Exports:
  $38.19 billion (2017 est.)
  $3.772 billion (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 57
  Exports - partners:
  US 44.2%, El Salvador 6.4%, Venezuela 5.5%, Costa Rica 5.5% (2017)
  Exports - commodities:
  coffee, beef, gold, sugar, peanuts, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, cigars, automobile wiring harnesses, textiles, apparel
  Imports:
  $6.613 billion (2017 est.)
  $6.384 billion (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 117
  Imports - commodities:
  consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products
  Imports - partners:
  US 20.8%, China 14.3%, Mexico 11.1%, Costa Rica 7.9%, Guatemala 7%, El Salvador 5.6% (2017)
  Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
  $2.758 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
  $2.448 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 113
  Debt - external:
  $11.31 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
  $10.87 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 109
  Exchange rates:
  cordobas (NIO) per US dollar -
  30.11 (2017 est.)
  28.678 (2016 est.)
  28.678 (2015 est.)
  27.257 (2014 est.)
  26.01 (2013 est.)
- Energy :: Nicaragua
- Electricity access:
  population without electricity: 1.4 million (2013)
  electrification - total population: 78% (2013)
  electrification - urban areas: 100% (2013)
  electrification - rural areas: 43% (2013)
  Electricity - production:
  4.454 billion kWh (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 124
  Electricity - consumption:
  3.59 billion kWh (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 132
  Electricity - exports:
  17.87 million kWh (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 91
  Electricity - imports:
  205 million kWh (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 93
  Electricity - installed generating capacity:
  1.551 million kW (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 123
  Electricity - from fossil fuels:
  56% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 139
  Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
  0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 155
  Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
  9% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 120
  Electricity - from other renewable sources:
  35% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 9
  Crude oil - production:
  0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 182
  Crude oil - exports:
  0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 175
  Crude oil - imports:
  16,180 bbl/day (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 69
  Crude oil - proved reserves:
  0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 178
  Refined petroleum products - production:
  14,720 bbl/day (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 95
  Refined petroleum products - consumption:
  37,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 115
  Refined petroleum products - exports:
  460 bbl/day (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 111
  Refined petroleum products - imports:
  20,120 bbl/day (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 121
  Natural gas - production:
  0 cu m (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 179
  Natural gas - consumption:
  0 cu m (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 183
  Natural gas - exports:
  0 cu m (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 162
  Natural gas - imports:
  0 cu m (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 167
  Natural gas - proved reserves:
  0 cu m (1 January 2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 177
  Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
  5.405 million Mt (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 132
- Communications :: Nicaragua
- Telephones - fixed lines:
  total subscriptions: 375,856 (2017 est.)
  subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 6 (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 105
  Telephones - mobile cellular:
  total subscriptions: 8,179,876 (2017 est.)
  subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 136 (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 99
  Telephone system:
  general assessment: system being upgraded by foreign investment; nearly all installed telecommunications capacity now uses digital technology, owing to investments since privatization of the formerly state-owned telecommunications company (2016)
  domestic: since privatization, access to fixed-line and mobile-cellular services has improved; fixed-line teledensity roughly 6 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has increased to almost 130 per 100 persons (2016)
  international: country code - 505; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic submarine cable provides connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2016)
  Broadcast media:
  multiple terrestrial TV stations, supplemented by cable TV in most urban areas; nearly all are government-owned or affiliated; more than 300 radio stations, both government-affiliated and privately owned (2016)
  Internet country code:
  .ni
  Internet users:
  total: 1,466,152 (July 2016 est.)
  percent of population: 24.6% (July 2016 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 123
  Broadband - fixed subscriptions:
  total: 210,124 (2017 est.)
  subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3 (2017 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 108
- Transportation :: Nicaragua
- National air transport system:
  number of registered air carriers: 1 (2015)
  inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 2 (2015)
  annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 61,031 (2015)
  annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 0 mt-km (2015)
  Civil aircraft registration country code prefix:
  YN (2016)
  Airports:
  147 (2013)
  country comparison to the world: 40
  Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 12 (2017)
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2017)
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2017)
  914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2017)
  under 914 m: 4 (2017)
  Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 135 (2013)
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2013)
  914 to 1,523 m: 15 (2013)
  under 914 m: 119 (2013)
  Pipelines:
  54 km oil (2013)
  Roadways:
  total: 23,897 km (2014)
  paved: 3,346 km (2014)
  unpaved: 20,551 km (2014)
  country comparison to the world: 102
  Waterways:
  2,220 km (navigable waterways as well as the use of the large Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua; rivers serve only the sparsely populated eastern part of the country) (2011)
  country comparison to the world: 39
  Merchant marine:
  total: 5 (2017)
  by type: general cargo 1, oil tanker 1, other 3 (2017)
  country comparison to the world: 162
  Ports and terminals:
  major seaport(s): Bluefields, Corinto
- Military and Security :: Nicaragua
- Military expenditures:
  0.61% of GDP (2017)
  0.55% of GDP (2016)
  0.78% of GDP (2015)
  0.69% of GDP (2014)
  0.68% of GDP (2013)
  country comparison to the world: 140
  Military branches:
  National Army of Nicaragua (Ejercito Nacional de Nicaragua, ENN; includes Navy, Air Force) (2013)
  Military service age and obligation:
  18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; tour of duty 18-36 months; requires Nicaraguan nationality and 6th-grade education (2012)
- Transnational Issues :: Nicaragua
- Disputes - international:
  the 1992 ICJ ruling for El Salvador and Honduras advised a tripartite resolution to establish a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca, which considers Honduran access to the PacificNicaragua and Costa Rica regularly file border dispute cases to the ICJ over the delimitations of the San Juan River and the northern tip of Calero Island; in Februay 2018, the ICJ determined Pacific and Atlantic ocean maritime borders as well as land borders, including the status of Calero Island; in 2009, the ICJ ruled that Costa Rican vessels carrying out police activities could not use the river, but official Costa Rican vessels providing essential services to riverside inhabitants and Costa Rican tourists could travel freely on the river; in 2011, the ICJ provisionally ruled that both countries must remove personnel from the disputed area; in 2013, the ICJ rejected Nicaragua's 2012 suit to halt Costa Rica's construction of a highway paralleling the river on the grounds of irreparable environmental damage; in 2013 regarding the disputed territory, the ICJ ordered that Nicaragua should refrain from dredging or canal construction and refill and repair damage caused by trenches connecting the river to the Caribbean and upheld its 2010 ruling that Nicaragua must remove all personnel; in early 2014, Costa Rica brought Nicaragua to the ICJ over offshore oil concessions in the disputed region; in 2015, the ICJ ruled that Costa Rica had sovereignty over the northern part of Isla Portillos and that Nicaragua was in breach of Costa Rican territorial sovereignty since 2010. The ICJ ordered Nicaragua to make reparations to Costa Rica, and after both parties failed to agree on the reparation sum, the ICJ ruled an amount in February 2018; Nicaragua filed a case against Colombia in 2013 over the delimitation of the continental shelf beyond the 200 nautical miles from the Nicaraguan coast, as well as over the alleged violation by Colombia of Nicaraguan maritime space in the Caribbean Sea
  Illicit drugs:
  transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing