Page last modified 16 August 2023
Nicaragua
Community
Area 130,370� square kilometres (119,990 square kilometres land area)
Population,
275,816 (1882)
375,000 (1890)
480,000 (1900)
829,677 (1930)
983,160 (1940) +18.5%
1,057,023 (1950) +7.5%
1,773,000 (1960) +67.7%
2,407,000 (1970) +35.8%
3,266,000 (1980) +35.7%
4,173,000 (1990) +27.8%
5,070,000 (2000) +21.5%
5,824,000 (2010) +14.9%
6,625,000 (2020) +13.8%
Ethnicity, %
|
|
Amerindian |
Black |
Mixed Race |
White |
|
1930 |
5.0 |
9.0 |
69.0 |
17.0 |
|
1955 |
5.0 |
9.0 |
68.0 |
15.0 |
|
2011 |
5.0 |
9.0 |
69.0 |
17.0 |
Religion, %
|
|
Christian J W |
Christian Protestant |
Christian R C |
No religion |
|
1980 |
|
5.0 |
90.0 |
|
|
2005 |
0.9 |
23.2 |
58.5 |
15.7 |
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1952 |
|
54.0 (+31.0) |
167.0 |
23.0 |
44.6 |
2.5 |
34.9 |
|
1962 |
7.2 |
50.0 (+32.6) |
130.7 |
17.4 |
48.3 |
2.5 |
40.5 |
|
1972 |
6.8 |
47.0 (+34.3) |
111.5 |
12.7 |
47.6 |
2.6 |
48.0 |
|
1980 |
6.1 |
44.0 (+33.2) |
78.0 |
10.8 |
46.9 |
2.8 |
50.0 |
|
1990 |
4.6 |
37.0 (+29.6) |
51.3 |
7.4 |
45.7 |
3.2 |
52.3 |
|
2000 |
3.1 |
26.9 (+21.6) |
29.9 |
5.3 |
39.6 |
3.8 |
54.7 |
|
2010 |
2.6 |
22.1 (+16.3) |
17.5 |
4.8 |
33.3 |
4.5 |
57.3 |
|
2015 |
2.5 |
19.9 (+15.1) |
16.1 |
4.8 |
31.3 |
4.8 |
58.1 |
|
2017 |
2.4 |
21.1 (+16.3) |
15.9 |
4.8 |
|
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
15.7 |
|
30.2 |
5.2 |
58.5 |
Life expectancy,
42.3 (1952); 41.0 (M), 44.0 (F)
55.0 (1970); 54.0 (M), 56.0 (F)
58.5 (1980); 56.0 (M), 61.0 (F)
63.5 (1990); 61.0 (M), 67.0 (F)
69.2 (2000); 66.8 (M), 71.5 (F)
74.5 (2010); 71.0 (M), 77.0 (F)
74.6 (2020); 71.1 (M), 78.1 (F)
Population of principal cities, 1,000s
|
|
Chinandega |
Esteli |
Granada |
Leon |
MANAGUA1 |
Masaya |
|
1860 |
|
|
|
35 |
|
|
|
1900 |
12 |
|
|
|
20 |
|
|
1940 |
15 |
6 |
25 |
31 |
84 |
20 |
|
1958 |
18 |
|
30 |
46 |
150 |
28 |
|
1967 |
37 |
27 |
40 |
62 |
300 |
34 |
|
1978 |
44 |
27 |
56 |
82 |
600 |
43 |
|
1985 |
68 |
31 |
|
101 |
700 |
75 |
|
1995 |
98 |
72 |
72 |
123 |
830 |
89 |
|
2005 |
102 |
105 |
79 |
139 |
908 |
140 MA |
|
2009 |
|
|
|
|
1,347 MA |
|
|
2012 |
|
|
124 |
|
|
|
|
2015 |
152 MA |
119 |
|
165 |
1,400 MA |
|
1Chosen as the capital city in 1858.
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1950 |
142 |
|
|
|
|
1960 |
224 |
0.04 |
126 |
4.19 |
|
1965 |
567 |
0.08 |
274 |
7.16 |
|
1970 |
777 |
0.07 |
324 |
6.17 |
|
1975 |
1,590 |
0.10 |
568 |
7.26 |
|
1980 |
2,190 |
0.08 |
674 |
5.35 |
|
1985 |
2,684 |
0.06 |
724 |
3.96 |
|
1990 |
1,010 |
0.02 |
244* |
1.02 |
|
1995 |
4,140 |
0.06 |
900 |
2.99 |
|
2000 |
5,107 |
0.05 |
1,016 |
2.79 |
|
2005 |
6,321 |
0.05 |
1,175 |
2.65 |
|
2010 |
8,760 |
0.06 |
1,526 |
3.15 |
|
2015 |
12,750 |
0.07 |
2,100 |
3.74 |
|
2016 |
13,230 |
0.07 |
2,150 |
3.74 |
*A combination of internal economic mismanagement and corruption, with foreign trade embargos, hyperinflation and loss of credit availability, severely reduced per capita GDP in the 1980s.
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1960 |
|
62.0 |
|
16.0 |
|
22.0 |
|
1970 |
|
52.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1980 |
22.0 |
39.0 |
26.0 |
10.0 |
52.0 |
50.0 |
|
1990 |
23.0 |
36.0 |
32.0 |
16.0 |
45.0 |
50.0 |
|
2000 |
22.0 |
21.0 |
30.0 |
23.0 |
48.0 |
54.0 |
|
2010 |
17.6 |
28.0 |
26.5 |
19.0 |
56.0 |
52.0 |
|
2016 |
14.8 |
|
24.2 |
|
50.4 |
|
Communications
Language� Creole, English, Official; Spanish
Spanish,
96.0% (1980)
97.5% (1995)
Literacy
65.5% (1995); 64.4% (M), 66.6% (F)
76.7% (2002); 76.8% (M), 76.6% (F)
80.5% (2010); 79.7% (M), 81.4% (F)
82.8% (2015); 82.4% (M), 83.2% (F)
Physical communications � roads
|
|
Roads (km) |
Surfaced (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
|
1939 |
3,011 |
|
|
|
|
|
1943 |
|
|
|
|
312 |
|
1947 |
|
|
|
936 |
975 |
|
1949 |
|
|
|
1,443 |
|
|
1954 |
|
|
7,200 |
|
4,209 |
|
1958 |
|
|
|
7,171 |
4,336 |
|
1961 |
6,124 |
|
15,000 |
8,650 |
5,500 |
|
1970 |
|
800 |
|
|
|
|
1977 |
|
|
|
46,383 |
|
|
1986 |
15,000 |
1,700 |
77,200 |
|
25,860 |
|
2002 |
18,712 |
|
|
83,168 |
|
|
2007 |
19,000 |
|
288,000 |
101,900 |
|
|
2011 |
|
|
445,974 |
279,668 |
43,998 |
|
2013 |
|
|
566,731 |
|
|
|
2014 |
23,897 |
|
|
|
|
Railways; First railway opened 1880. All rail services
closed in September 2001, as traffic fell and due to earthquake damage.
Length, kilometres
21 (1880)
175 (1890)
175 (1900)
235 (1910)
235 (1920)
235 (1930)
380 (1940)
380 (1950)
403 (1960)
373 (1978)
373 (1985)
0 (2002)
Electronic communications, TV broadcasting began 1956
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1938 |
1,389 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1941 |
1,569 |
|
4,000 |
|
|
|
|
1951 |
|
|
16,000 |
|
|
|
|
1957 |
5,735 |
|
25,000 |
|
|
|
|
1958 |
|
|
75,000 |
|
|
|
|
1962 |
9,261 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1964 |
|
|
80,000 |
|
|
|
|
1969 |
23,484 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1972 |
|
|
|
60,000 |
|
|
|
1980 |
30,827 |
|
115,000 |
185,000 |
|
|
|
1990 |
46,330 |
|
955,000 |
240,000 |
|
|
|
1993 |
|
324 |
|
|
30,000 |
|
|
1995 |
|
4,400 |
1,150,000 |
300,000 |
45,000 |
|
|
2000 |
164,500 |
90,300 |
1,370,000 |
600,000 |
120,000 |
|
|
2002 |
|
|
|
|
|
90,000 |
|
2005 |
|
1,120,000 |
|
710,000 |
220,000 |
|
|
2009 |
|
|
|
|
|
199,800 |
|
2010 |
258,000 |
3,771,000 |
|
|
|
350,000 |
|
2016 |
366,636 |
7,745.500 |
|
|
|
1,466,000 |
Tourism: Visitors to Nicaragua,
180,000 (1982)
169,000 (1987)
106,000 (1990)
281,000 (1995)
486,000 (2000)
712,444 (2005)
1,011,000 (2010)
1,386,000 (2015)