Economy - overview:
Nicaragua, the poorest country in Central America and the second poorest in the Western Hemisphere, has widespread underemployment and poverty. The Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) has been in effect since April 2006 and has expanded export opportunities for many agricultural and manufactured goods. Textiles and agriculture combined account for nearly 50% of Nicaragua's exports. In 2013, the government granted a 100-year concession to a newly formed Chinese-run company to finance and build an inter-oceanic canal and related projects, at an estimated cost of $40 billion. The economy grew 4.6% in 2013, despite a 33% decline in coffee export revenues due to a coffee rust fungus.
GDP (purchasing power parity): GDP (official exchange rate): GDP - real growth rate: GDP - per capita (PPP): GDP - composition, by end use:
GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
Agriculture - products: Industries: Industrial production growth rate: Labor force: Labor force - by occupation:
Unemployment rate: Population below poverty line: Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Distribution of family income - Gini index: Budget:
Taxes and other revenues: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): Public debt: Fiscal year: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Central bank discount rate: Commercial bank prime lending rate: Stock of narrow money: Stock of broad money: Stock of domestic credit: Market value of publicly traded shares: Current account balance: Exports: Exports - commodities: Exports - partners: Imports: Imports - commodities: Imports - partners: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Debt - external: Exchange rates:
$27.97 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119
$26.74 billion (2012 est.)
$25.42 billion (2011 est.)
note:
data are in 2013 US dollars
[see also: GDP country ranks ]
$11.26 billion (2013 est.)
[see also: GDP (official exchange rate) country ranks ]
4.6% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 66
5.2% (2012 est.)
5.4% (2011 est.)
[see also: GDP - real growth rate country ranks ]
$4,500 (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 166
$4,400 (2012 est.)
$4,200 (2011 est.)
note:
data are in 2013 US dollars
[see also: GDP - per capita country ranks ]
household consumption:
86.1%
government consumption:
10.3%
investment in fixed capital:
34.4%
exports of goods and services:
38.6%
imports of goods and services:
-69.5%
(2013 est.)
agriculture:
17.1%
industry:
25.5%
services:
57.5% (2013 est.)
coffee, bananas, sugarcane, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products; shrimp, lobsters, cotton
food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, knit and woven apparel, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood, electric wire harness manufacturing, mining
3% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107
[see also: Industrial production growth rate country ranks ]
3.039 million (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
[see also: Labor force country ranks ]
agriculture:
31%
industry:
18%
services:
50% (2011 est.)
7.2% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
5.9% (2012 est.)
note:
underemployment was 46.5% in 2008
[see also: Unemployment rate country ranks ]
42.5% (2009)
[see also: Population below poverty line country ranks ]
lowest 10%:
1.4%
highest 10%:
41.8% (2005)
40.5 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 56
60.3 (1998)
[see also: Distribution of family income - Gini index country ranks ]
revenues:
$1.776 billion
expenditures:
$1.656 billion (2013 est.)
25.6% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 120
[see also: Taxes and other revenues country ranks ]
-0.3% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 51
[see also: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) country ranks ]
50.4% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 66
51.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
note:
official data; data cover general Government Debt, and includes debt instruments issued (or owned) by Government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental 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
[see also: Public debt country ranks ]
calendar year
5.7% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 166
6.6% (2012 est.)
[see also: Inflation rate (consumer prices) country ranks ]
3% (31 December 2010 est.)
[see also: Central bank discount rate country ranks ]
12% (31 December 2013 est.)
NA% (31 December 2012 est.)
[see also: Commercial bank prime lending rate country ranks ]
$961 million (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151
$897.5 million (31 December 2012 est.)
[see also: Stock of narrow money country ranks ]
$4.453 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 132
$4.136 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
[see also: Stock of broad money country ranks ]
$4.268 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 118
$4.567 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
[see also: Stock of domestic credit country ranks ]
$NA
[see also: Market value of publicly traded shares country ranks ]
-$1.578 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133
-$1.362 billion (2012 est.)
[see also: Current account balance country ranks ]
$2.401 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138
$4.581 billion (2012 est.)
[see also: Exports country ranks ]
coffee, beef, gold, sugar, peanuts, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, cigars, automobile wiring harnesses, textiles, apparel, cotton
United States 25.2%, Venezuela 16%, Canada 13.1%, El Salvador 8.9%, Costa Rica 5% (2013 est.)
$5.65 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
$5.851 billion (2012 est.)
[see also: Imports country ranks ]
consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products
Venezuela 18.8% (2013 est.)
$1.993 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
$1.887 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
[see also: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold country ranks ]
$4.532 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 123
$4.289 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
[see also: Debt - external country ranks ]
cordobas (NIO) per US dollar -
24.77 (2013 est.)
23.547 (2012 est.)
21.356 (2010 est.)
20.34 (2009)
19.374 (2008)