World Factbook
Nicaragua
República de Nicaragua
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Languages
note
note: English and indigenous languages found on the Caribbean coast
Languages
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.
Religions
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.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.95 male(s)/female
total population
0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.8 male(s)/female
Birth rate
16.07 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
5.14 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
28.1 years
total
29.5 years (2025 est.)
female
29.9 years
Population
male
3,304,133
total
6,739,380 (2025 est.)
female
3,435,247
Nationality
noun
Nicaraguan(s)
adjective
Nicaraguan
Urbanization
urban population
59.8% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
1.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
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)
Ethnic groups
Mestizo (mixed Indigenous and White) 69%, White 17%, Black 9%, Indigenous 5%
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
44.6 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
35.6 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
11.1 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
9 (2025 est.)
Physician density
0.68 physicians/1,000 population (2018)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
9.7% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
17.8% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
-1.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
0.9 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.82 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
2.9% of GDP (2023 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
11% national budget (2024 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
15.9 deaths/1,000 live births
total
14.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
12.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
0.92% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.89 (2025 est.)
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
Life expectancy at birth
male
73.2 years
female
76.4 years
total population
74.7 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
60 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
unimproved: rural
rural: 33.5% of population
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
1.57 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
3.69 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
2.1 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
1.095 million MANAGUA (capital) (2023)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
23.7% (2016)
Mother's mean age at first birth
19.2 years (2011/12 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
56% (2023 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
12 years (2023 est.)
total
12 years (2023 est.)
female
12 years (2023 est.)