geography
Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America by land area and home to more than 50 volcanoes, several still active.
Nicaragua
Republic of Nicaragua
Population, GDP, and key facts about Nicaragua — updated for 2026.
Capital · MANAGUAContinent · AMERICASISO · NIC
Nicaragua quick facts
- Population
- 6,916,140
- Area
- 130,370 km²
- Population density
- 57 people/km²
- GDP
- US$ 19.7 Billion
- GDP per capita
- US$ 2.8K
- Capital
- Managua
- Currency
- Nicaraguan córdoba (C$, NIO)
- Minimum wage
- US$ 210/month · C$ 7,693/month (2024)
- Language
- Spanish
Nicaragua at human scale
Where does Nicaragua rank in the world?
Compare Nicaragua with other countries
🇳🇮 vs 🇵🇾Compare Nicaragua vs Paraguay🇳🇮 vs 🇯🇲Compare Nicaragua vs Jamaica2.4× difference in population
Compare Nicaragua with any country →Nicaragua's war history
- Government of NicaraguavsContras
Intrastate
Wars that reached at least 1,000 battle-related deaths in a year, since 1946 — not a full record of every armed conflict Nicaragua has had. Source: UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset.
See every war since 1946 on the War Timeline →Nicaragua's energy mix
Fossil fuels · 38%Renewables · 62%
- Oil38%
- Bioenergy20%
- Other renewables15%
- Hydropower14%
- Wind12%
- Solar1%
Share of Nicaragua's own electricity generation by source, 2024. Source: Our World in Data (Ember Yearly Electricity Data and the Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy).
Everything we know about Nicaragua
nature
Nicaragua's Lake Nicaragua is one of the only freshwater lakes in the world known to have sharks, a population of bull sharks that adapted to live there.
Countries near Nicaragua
How many countries do you think Nicaragua could fit?
Pour other countries into Nicaragua's own outline, by real area, and see how many it takes to fill it up.
Fill the Country →Frequently asked questions about Nicaragua
What is the capital of Nicaragua?
The capital of Nicaragua is Managua.
What is Nicaragua's population?
Nicaragua has a population of 6,916,140.
What is Nicaragua's GDP per capita?
Nicaragua's GDP per capita is US$ 2.8K.
What is the currency of Nicaragua?
The currency of Nicaragua is the Nicaraguan córdoba (NIO).
What is the minimum wage in Nicaragua?
Nicaragua's statutory minimum wage is about US$ 210 per month (as of 2024) — C$ 7,693 per month in local currency.
Is Nicaragua bigger than Paraguay?
Paraguay is about 3.1× the size of Nicaragua by land area.
Data from the World Bank, updated November 2026.