Nicaragua

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 371,000 (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 5 (2023 est.)

Broadcast media

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)

Internet country code

.ni

Internet users

percent of population: 58% (2023 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 234,000 (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3 (2023 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 7.33 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 106 (2024 est.)

Agricultural products

sugarcane, milk, rice, oil palm fruit, maize, plantains, cassava, groundnuts, beans, chicken (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Budget

revenues: $3.856 billion (2023 est.) expenditures: $3.382 billion (2023 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

Current account balance

$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

Debt - external

$6.753 billion (2023 est.) note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

Economic overview

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

Exchange rates

cordobas (NIO) per US dollar - 36.624 (2024 est.) 36.441 (2023 est.) 35.874 (2022 est.) 35.171 (2021 est.) 34.342 (2020 est.)

Exports

$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

Exports - commodities

garments, gold, insulated wire, coffee, beef (2023) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Exports - partners

USA 51%, Mexico 12%, El Salvador 6%, Canada 6%, Switzerland 4% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

GDP (official exchange rate)

$19.694 billion (2024 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

GDP - composition, by end use

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

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

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

Imports

$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

Imports - commodities

garments, refined petroleum, crude petroleum, plastic products, fabric (2023) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Imports - partners

USA 24%, China 13%, Mexico 9%, Honduras 9%, Guatemala 8% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

Industrial production growth rate

3.6% (2024 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.6% (2024 est.) 8.4% (2023 est.) 10.5% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

Labor force

3.225 million (2024 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Population below poverty line

24.9% (2016 est.) note: % of population with income below national poverty line

Public debt

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

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

$52.989 billion (2024 est.) $51.153 billion (2023 est.) $48.985 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP growth rate

3.6% (2024 est.) 4.4% (2023 est.) 3.6% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP per capita

$7,700 (2024 est.) $7,500 (2023 est.) $7,300 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

Remittances

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

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$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

Taxes and other revenues

19.9% (of GDP) (2023 est.) note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Unemployment rate

4.6% (2024 est.) 4.8% (2023 est.) 5% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 9% (2024 est.) male: 7.8% (2024 est.) female: 12% (2024 est.) note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

Coal

imports: 22 metric tons (2023 est.)

Electricity

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.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 86.5% (2022 est.) electrification - urban areas: 100% electrification - rural areas: 66.3%

Electricity generation sources

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.)

Energy consumption per capita

10.66 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Petroleum

total petroleum production: 200 bbl/day (2023 est.) refined petroleum consumption: 28,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

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.)

Climate

tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

Environmental issues

deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; drought

Geoparks

total global geoparks and regional networks: 1 global geoparks and regional networks: Rio Coco (2023)

International environmental agreements

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

Land use

agricultural land: 42.3% (2023 est.) arable land: 12.5% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 2.5% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 27.4% (2023 est.) forest: 40.1% (2023 est.) other: 17.6% (2023 est.)

Particulate matter emissions

16.3 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

Total renewable water resources

164.52 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Total water withdrawal

municipal: 190 million cubic meters (2022 est.) industrial: 620,000 cubic meters (2022 est.) agricultural: 1.084 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 59.8% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually: 1.529 million tons (2024 est.) percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 15% (2022 est.)

Area

total : 130,370 sq km land: 119,990 sq km water: 10,380 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than New York State

Climate

tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

Coastline

910 km

Elevation

highest point: Mogoton 2,085 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 298 m

Geographic coordinates

13 00 N, 85 00 W

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

1,990 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

total: 1,253 km border countries (2): Costa Rica 313 km; Honduras 940 km

Land use

agricultural land: 42.3% (2023 est.) arable land: 12.5% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 2.5% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 27.4% (2023 est.) forest: 40.1% (2023 est.) other: 17.6% (2023 est.)

Location

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

Major lakes (area sq km)

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

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: natural prolongation

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

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

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

Terrain

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

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*, Estel , Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas

Capital

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 Guaran words ama (rain) and nagua (spirit) and refers to a local deity

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

Constitution

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

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua conventional short form: Nicaragua local long form: Rep blica 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)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charg d Affaires Elias BAUMANN (since December 2025) 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/

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charg 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

Executive branch

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

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 has a triangle with the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA in an arc over it and AMERICA CENTRAL in an arc underneath meaning: blue stands for the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, and white for the land between the two bodies of water history: the banner is based on the former blue-white-blue flag of the Federal Republic of Central America note: similar to the flag of El Salvador, which has a round emblem; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars in an "X" pattern centered on the white band

Government type

presidential republic

Independence

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

International law organization participation

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

International organization participation

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

Judicial branch

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

Legal system

civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts

Legislative branch

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

National anthem(s)

title: "Salve a ti, Nicaragua" (Hail to Thee, Nicaragua) lyrics/music: Salomon Ibarra MAYORGA/traditional, arranged by Luis Abraham DELGADILLO history: music was approved in 1918 and the lyrics in 1939

National color(s)

blue, white

National heritage

total World Heritage Sites: 2 (both cultural) selected World Heritage Site locales: Ruins of Le n Viejo; Le n Cathedral

National holiday

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

National symbol(s)

turquoise-browed motmot (bird)

Political parties

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)

Suffrage

16 years of age; universal

Background

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.

Military - note

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)

Military and security forces

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 (Polic a 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

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 12,000 active Armed Forces (2025)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the military's air and ground force inventories include mostly secondhand Russian or Soviet-era equipment (2025)

Military expenditures

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.)

Military service age and obligation

18-30 years of age for voluntary military service (16-20 for cadets); no conscription; tour of duty 18-36 months (2025)

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)

Alcohol consumption per capita

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.)

Birth rate

16.07 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

56% (2023 est.)

Death rate

5.14 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 44.6 (2025 est.) youth dependency ratio: 35.6 (2025 est.) elderly dependency ratio: 9 (2025 est.) potential support ratio: 11.1 (2025 est.)

Education expenditure

2.9% of GDP (2023 est.) 11% national budget (2024 est.)

Ethnic groups

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

Gross reproduction rate

0.89 (2025 est.)

Health expenditure

9.7% of GDP (2021) 17.8% of national budget (2022 est.)

Hospital bed density

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

Infant mortality rate

total: 14.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.) male: 15.9 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.8 deaths/1,000 live births

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 informaci n b sica. (Spanish) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. note: English and indigenous languages found on the Caribbean coast

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 74.7 years (2024 est.) male: 73.2 years female: 76.4 years

Major urban areas - population

1.095 million MANAGUA (capital) (2023)

Maternal mortality ratio

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

Median age

total: 29.5 years (2025 est.) male: 28.1 years female: 29.9 years

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

Nationality

noun: Nicaraguan(s) adjective: Nicaraguan

Net migration rate

-1.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

23.7% (2016)

Physician density

0.68 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Population

total: 6,739,380 (2025 est.) male: 3,304,133 female: 3,435,247

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

Population growth rate

0.92% (2025 est.)

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.)

Sanitation facility access

rural: 33.5% of population

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 12 years (2023 est.) male: 12 years (2023 est.) female: 12 years (2023 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 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.82 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 59.8% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Key space-program milestones

1994 - joined UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space 2017 - Russia opened a satellite navigation system monitoring station in Nicaragua 2021 - signed convention establishing the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency 2024 - joined the China-led International Lunar Research Station project, which aims to establish a permanent base on the Moon by the 2030s

Space agency/agencies

National Secretariat for Extraterrestrial Space Affairs, The Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (Secretar a Nacional para Asuntos del Espacio Ultraterrestre, la Luna y otros Cuerpos Celestes, established 2021; operates under the military s control) (2025)

Space program overview

stated mission is to promote the development of space activities with the aim of broadening the country s capacities in 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 (2025)

Illicit drugs

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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs: 89 (2024 est.)

Trafficking in persons

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/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/nicaragua/

Airports

39 (2025)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

YN

Merchant marine

total: 5 (2023) by type: general cargo 1, oil tanker 1, other 3

Ports

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