Country or area · Central America · Latin America and the Caribbean · Americas · UN WPP 2024

Nicaragua population

Nicaragua population now

7,119,168

A projection read at this second, not a count: the UN's totals for 1 January 2026 and 2027, joined by a straight line. 95% range for 31 December 2026: 7.0–7.3 million.

Mid-2023, UN estimate: 6,823,613

Year: 2026; projection · medium
Population, mid-2026: 7.09733 million; 95% range, 31 Dec: 7.0–7.3 million
Median age: 27.3
Aged 65+: 5.9%

Move through time, 1950–2100

2023 | 2024 peak 2071

male female projection · one cell = 1,000 people

How to read this: one row for each age, newborns at the bottom; men on the left, women on the right.

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries

NIC · 1950–2100 · in brief

Nicaragua in numbers

In mid-2023 there were 6,823,613 people in Nicaragua: the 109th-largest population of the 236 countries and areas the UN reports, and 0.08% of the world's people. That is 5.1 times its 1950 population of 1.3 million.

The UN's medium projection has it peaking in 2071 at 9.2 million, then falling to 8.6 million by 2100. The projection is uncertain: on 1 January 2100 the UN's 95% range runs from 4.5 million to 15.3 million.

In the medium projection, deaths outnumber births every year from 2076 on.

The median age was 17.5 in 1950 and 26.3 in 2023; the projection has 47.9 in 2100. 5.4% of people were 65 or older in 2023, against 28.9% projected for 2100. The working-age population (15–64) is projected to peak in 2056 at 5.9 million.

Its place in the world by population: 109th in 2023, 108th in 2050, 109th in 2100. In the medium projection it overtakes Paraguay in 2026, Hong Kong in 2029 and Belarus in 2040. It is overtaken by the Republic of the Congo in 2032, the Central African Republic in 2038 and Mauritania in 2045.

Population, mid-2023: 6,823,613
Rank by population, 2023: 109 of 236
Share of the world, 2023: 0.08%
Change in a year, mid-2022 to mid-2023: +1.38% · +92,959 people
People per km² of land, 2023: 57
Land area, 2023: 120,340 km²
Births, 2023: 132,214
Deaths, 2023: 31,294
Net migration, 2023: −7,996
Children per woman, 2023: 2.22
Median age, 2023: 26.3 years
Life expectancy at birth, 2023: 75.0 years
In a city, 2025: 35 of every 100
Population, mid-1950: 1,331,439
Projected, mid-2050: 8,756,430
Projected, mid-2100: 8,611,722

NIC · 1950–2100 · total population

Population, 1950–2100

peak 2071estimates | projections05 m10 m15 m20 m1950197520002025205020752100

estimate projection, up to the bottom of the 95% range 95% range medium projection. One column is one year's population, read on 1 January; the paper rules divide it into equal cells.

Show the numbers: Nicaragua, 1950–2100

Nicaragua: population on 1 January, births, deaths, fertility and life expectancy, 1950–2100
Year	Kind	Population, 1 Jan	95% range	Births	Deaths	Children per woman	Life expectancy
1950	estimate	1,312,506		72,046	31,987	7.12	40.6
1951	estimate	1,350,372		73,522	32,774	7.12	40.8
1952	estimate	1,388,928		74,802	32,449	7.10	41.9
1953	estimate	1,429,114		76,347	32,600	7.10	42.5
1954	estimate	1,470,686		78,022	32,697	7.11	43.1
1955	estimate	1,513,826		79,841	32,808	7.12	43.7
1956	estimate	1,558,667		81,692	32,884	7.14	44.3
1957	estimate	1,605,278		83,564	32,970	7.15	44.9
1958	estimate	1,653,652		85,437	33,042	7.16	45.5
1959	estimate	1,703,827		87,331	33,123	7.16	46.1
1960	estimate	1,755,747		89,194	33,530	7.16	46.4
1961	estimate	1,808,992		90,609	33,110	7.11	47.3
1962	estimate	1,863,910		92,563	33,015	7.10	48.0
1963	estimate	1,920,729		94,581	32,843	7.08	48.8
1964	estimate	1,979,589		96,847	32,618	7.06	49.6
1965	estimate	2,040,762		99,217	32,162	7.03	50.6
1966	estimate	2,104,600		101,741	31,857	6.99	51.6
1967	estimate	2,171,040		104,473	31,750	6.94	52.4
1968	estimate	2,240,094		107,377	31,918	6.88	52.9
1969	estimate	2,311,578		110,374	32,138	6.83	53.4
1970	estimate	2,385,218		113,517	32,391	6.77	53.8
1971	estimate	2,460,912		116,881	32,739	6.71	54.2
1972	estimate	2,538,739		120,068	43,162	6.65	48.0
1973	estimate	2,608,417		122,881	33,219	6.59	55.0
1974	estimate	2,690,140		126,099	33,593	6.52	55.4
1975	estimate	2,774,009		129,176	33,948	6.45	55.8
1976	estimate	2,859,878		132,435	34,336	6.37	56.1
1977	estimate	2,947,824		135,612	35,115	6.28	56.1
1978	estimate	3,037,244		138,158	39,739	6.16	53.5
1979	estimate	3,123,385		141,078	44,648	6.07	50.8
1980	estimate	3,205,665		143,280	34,677	5.96	58.0
1981	estimate	3,299,141		145,244	34,821	5.84	58.3
1982	estimate	3,392,207		147,289	34,820	5.74	58.7
1983	estimate	3,485,283		148,531	37,912	5.61	56.9
1984	estimate	3,575,281		149,648	39,513	5.49	56.1
1985	estimate	3,662,926		150,497	39,548	5.36	56.4
1986	estimate	3,750,032		151,188	38,135	5.22	57.6
1987	estimate	3,838,281		151,821	38,932	5.07	57.3
1988	estimate	3,926,047		152,641	35,340	4.93	59.8
1989	estimate	4,018,594		152,588	32,457	4.76	61.9
1990	estimate	4,114,357		152,547	31,867	4.60	62.5
1991	estimate	4,210,761		152,690	30,905	4.43	63.3
1992	estimate	4,308,513		151,914	30,710	4.27	63.7
1993	estimate	4,405,539		150,864	30,397	4.10	64.1
1994	estimate	4,501,925		149,590	30,024	3.94	64.5
1995	estimate	4,596,708		148,254	29,928	3.77	64.9
1996	estimate	4,689,154		146,634	29,785	3.62	65.2
1997	estimate	4,770,794		144,371	29,960	3.47	65.5
1998	estimate	4,848,352		142,619	33,757	3.34	64.1
1999	estimate	4,918,959		141,101	30,882	3.22	65.9
2000	estimate	4,989,077		140,057	30,864	3.12	66.4
2001	estimate	5,056,190		137,546	30,434	3.00	67.0
2002	estimate	5,119,460		135,342	29,534	2.89	68.0
2003	estimate	5,180,359		135,094	28,954	2.83	68.8
2004	estimate	5,241,568		135,380	28,480	2.78	69.5
2005	estimate	5,304,255		136,819	27,835	2.77	70.4
2006	estimate	5,379,956		137,789	27,720	2.73	71.0
2007	estimate	5,457,755		138,398	28,059	2.70	71.2
2008	estimate	5,536,732		138,818	28,422	2.66	71.4
2009	estimate	5,616,454		139,213	29,002	2.63	71.5
2010	estimate	5,696,748		139,679	29,206	2.60	71.8
2011	estimate	5,778,152		139,419	29,392	2.56	72.0
2012	estimate	5,859,950		139,361	29,292	2.53	72.4
2013	estimate	5,942,623		138,841	29,814	2.49	72.5
2014	estimate	6,025,066		138,535	30,115	2.46	72.8
2015	estimate	6,107,917		138,051	30,704	2.43	72.9
2016	estimate	6,190,917		137,493	30,906	2.41	73.2
2017	estimate	6,274,414		136,727	31,261	2.38	73.4
2018	estimate	6,358,049		135,740	30,927	2.35	73.9
2019	estimate	6,442,111		134,914	32,095	2.32	73.8
2020	estimate	6,525,203		134,259	43,746	2.30	70.8
2021	estimate	6,605,331		133,188	43,972	2.27	70.5
2022	estimate	6,684,151		132,560	31,574	2.24	74.5
2023	estimate	6,777,156		132,214	31,294	2.22	75.0
2024	estimate	6,870,070		132,383	32,065	2.21	75.1
2025	projection	6,962,209	6.9–7.0 million	131,804	32,846	2.18	75.3
2026	projection	7,052,795	7.0–7.1 million	131,205	33,653	2.16	75.4
2027	projection	7,141,863	7.0–7.3 million	130,628	34,490	2.14	75.6
2028	projection	7,229,581	7.1–7.4 million	129,882	35,337	2.11	75.7
2029	projection	7,315,792	7.1–7.5 million	129,146	36,210	2.09	75.9
2030	projection	7,400,217	7.2–7.7 million	128,474	37,074	2.07	76.1
2031	projection	7,482,989	7.2–7.8 million	127,741	37,945	2.05	76.2
2032	projection	7,564,546	7.3–7.9 million	127,223	38,863	2.04	76.4
2033	projection	7,644,245	7.3–8.1 million	126,735	39,798	2.02	76.5
2034	projection	7,722,541	7.3–8.2 million	126,239	40,781	2.01	76.7
2035	projection	7,799,240	7.4–8.3 million	125,687	41,790	2.00	76.9
2036	projection	7,874,166	7.4–8.4 million	124,886	42,784	1.98	77.0
2037	projection	7,947,407	7.4–8.5 million	124,302	43,862	1.97	77.2
2038	projection	8,019,168	7.5–8.7 million	123,541	44,961	1.96	77.3
2039	projection	8,089,102	7.5–8.8 million	122,786	46,009	1.95	77.5
2040	projection	8,156,812	7.5–8.9 million	122,078	47,064	1.94	77.6
2041	projection	8,223,017	7.5–9.0 million	121,307	48,177	1.93	77.8
2042	projection	8,287,298	7.5–9.2 million	120,615	49,302	1.92	77.9
2043	projection	8,349,741	7.6–9.3 million	119,938	50,441	1.91	78.1
2044	projection	8,410,271	7.6–9.4 million	119,160	51,619	1.90	78.3
2045	projection	8,469,160	7.6–9.5 million	118,395	52,816	1.89	78.4
2046	projection	8,526,070	7.6–9.6 million	117,679	54,038	1.89	78.6
2047	projection	8,580,752	7.6–9.8 million	116,885	55,279	1.88	78.7
2048	projection	8,633,804	7.6–9.9 million	115,990	56,553	1.87	78.9
2049	projection	8,684,764	7.6–10.0 million	115,283	57,859	1.86	79.0
2050	projection	8,733,084	7.6–10.1 million	114,392	59,150	1.86	79.2
2051	projection	8,779,775	7.6–10.2 million	113,492	60,540	1.85	79.3
2052	projection	8,824,150	7.6–10.3 million	112,514	61,920	1.84	79.5
2053	projection	8,865,795	7.6–10.5 million	111,584	63,268	1.83	79.6
2054	projection	8,904,931	7.6–10.6 million	110,723	64,703	1.83	79.8
2055	projection	8,942,040	7.6–10.7 million	109,914	66,143	1.82	79.9
2056	projection	8,976,878	7.5–10.8 million	109,149	67,580	1.82	80.1
2057	projection	9,009,355	7.5–11.0 million	108,320	69,025	1.81	80.2
2058	projection	9,039,817	7.5–11.1 million	107,569	70,458	1.81	80.4
2059	projection	9,068,672	7.4–11.2 million	106,794	71,926	1.80	80.5
2060	projection	9,095,173	7.4–11.3 million	105,920	73,339	1.80	80.7
2061	projection	9,119,080	7.4–11.4 million	105,085	74,766	1.79	80.8
2062	projection	9,140,393	7.3–11.5 million	104,347	76,224	1.79	81.0
2063	projection	9,159,837	7.3–11.6 million	103,572	77,675	1.78	81.1
2064	projection	9,176,912	7.3–11.7 million	102,698	79,168	1.78	81.3
2065	projection	9,191,721	7.2–11.8 million	102,057	80,623	1.77	81.4
2066	projection	9,204,340	7.2–11.9 million	101,393	82,039	1.77	81.5
2067	projection	9,215,277	7.1–12.0 million	100,604	83,435	1.77	81.7
2068	projection	9,223,667	7.0–12.1 million	99,876	84,800	1.76	81.8
2069	projection	9,230,348	7.0–12.2 million	99,060	86,094	1.76	82.0
2070	projection	9,234,615	6.9–12.3 million	98,274	87,462	1.76	82.1
2071	projection	9,236,609	6.8–12.5 million	97,504	88,852	1.75	82.2
2072	projection	9,236,988	6.7–12.6 million	96,807	90,124	1.75	82.4
2073	projection	9,235,287	6.7–12.7 million	96,138	91,372	1.75	82.5
2074	projection	9,231,435	6.6–12.8 million	95,414	92,644	1.75	82.6
2075	projection	9,225,399	6.5–12.9 million	94,707	93,792	1.75	82.8
2076	projection	9,218,537	6.5–13.0 million	94,078	94,945	1.75	82.9
2077	projection	9,209,538	6.4–13.0 million	93,401	96,075	1.75	83.0
2078	projection	9,198,585	6.4–13.2 million	92,642	97,141	1.74	83.2
2079	projection	9,186,392	6.3–13.2 million	91,998	98,111	1.74	83.3
2080	projection	9,172,170	6.2–13.3 million	91,202	99,070	1.74	83.4
2081	projection	9,156,174	6.1–13.4 million	90,447	99,928	1.74	83.5
2082	projection	9,138,359	6.0–13.5 million	89,703	100,759	1.74	83.7
2083	projection	9,119,330	5.9–13.6 million	89,026	101,490	1.74	83.8
2084	projection	9,099,187	5.8–13.7 million	88,297	102,113	1.73	83.9
2085	projection	9,077,491	5.8–13.8 million	87,662	102,633	1.73	84.0
2086	projection	9,054,617	5.7–13.9 million	87,010	103,202	1.73	84.2
2087	projection	9,030,386	5.6–14.0 million	86,214	103,774	1.73	84.3
2088	projection	9,005,473	5.5–14.1 million	85,503	104,241	1.73	84.4
2089	projection	8,979,494	5.4–14.2 million	84,849	104,624	1.73	84.5
2090	projection	8,952,044	5.3–14.3 million	84,242	104,988	1.73	84.7
2091	projection	8,924,182	5.2–14.4 million	83,608	105,303	1.72	84.8
2092	projection	8,894,841	5.1–14.6 million	82,946	105,726	1.72	84.9
2093	projection	8,864,841	5.0–14.7 million	82,337	105,986	1.72	85.0
2094	projection	8,833,519	5.0–14.7 million	81,801	106,252	1.72	85.1
2095	projection	8,802,131	4.9–14.8 million	81,251	106,577	1.72	85.3
2096	projection	8,769,625	4.8–14.9 million	80,606	106,853	1.72	85.4
2097	projection	8,736,172	4.7–15.0 million	80,035	107,002	1.72	85.5
2098	projection	8,701,879	4.7–15.1 million	79,479	107,320	1.72	85.6
2099	projection	8,666,422	4.6–15.2 million	78,800	107,391	1.72	85.7
2100	projection	8,630,243	4.5–15.3 million	78,143	107,539	1.72	85.8

Show the numbers: Nicaragua, mid-2026, by single year of age

Nicaragua: population by single year of age, mid-2026
Age	Male	Female
0	66,113	63,997
1	66,169	64,070
2	66,090	64,017
3	65,980	63,936
4	66,110	64,076
5	66,430	64,394
6	66,726	64,689
7	66,930	64,903
8	67,229	65,207
9	67,511	65,496
10	67,673	65,683
11	67,769	65,799
12	67,808	65,848
13	67,853	65,899
14	67,823	65,882
15	67,699	65,784
16	67,420	65,540
17	66,942	65,110
18	66,426	64,656
19	65,816	64,118
20	65,274	63,602
21	64,384	62,740
22	63,171	61,616
23	62,244	60,774
24	61,904	60,494
25	62,069	60,701
26	61,922	60,585
27	61,424	60,144
28	61,022	59,844
29	60,776	59,738
30	60,202	59,410
31	59,494	59,010
32	58,946	58,804
33	58,156	58,439
34	57,122	57,882
35	55,778	57,002
36	54,259	55,932
37	52,774	54,921
38	51,112	53,752
39	49,322	52,476
40	47,632	51,250
41	46,044	50,014
42	44,554	48,786
43	43,206	47,576
44	41,908	46,275
45	40,686	44,936
46	39,552	43,606
47	38,296	42,106
48	37,104	40,638
49	35,978	39,237
50	34,758	37,776
51	33,560	36,392
52	32,349	35,053
53	31,014	33,636
54	29,644	32,239
55	28,292	30,924
56	26,938	29,655
57	25,594	28,436
58	24,220	27,218
59	22,842	26,003
60	21,499	24,821
61	20,202	23,681
62	18,950	22,565
63	17,774	21,475
64	16,676	20,404
65	15,669	19,400
66	14,692	18,414
67	13,706	17,409
68	12,781	16,458
69	11,928	15,567
70	11,147	14,740
71	10,424	13,978
72	9,751	13,284
73	9,124	12,642
74	8,532	12,040
75	7,934	11,418
76	7,268	10,672
77	6,352	9,384
78	5,373	7,962
79	4,642	6,986
80	4,129	6,305
81	3,694	5,741
82	3,270	5,156
83	2,854	4,589
84	2,432	4,042
85	2,011	3,496
86	1,612	2,964
87	1,247	2,452
88	936	1,982
89	686	1,572
90	489	1,223
91	337	926
92	224	679
93	145	485
94	90	337
95	55	227
96	32	149
97	19	94
98	10	57
99	6	34
100+	6	40

NIC · 1950–2100 · every age, every year

Nicaragua, every age in every year

Each column is a year and each row an age; the denser the ink in a cell, the more people. Everyone born in the same year climbs one 45° diagonal, so famines, baby booms and migration show up as streaks. Select a cell to follow its generation.

NIC · ages 15–64

Who does the work in Nicaragua

On the UN's projection, Nicaragua will have the most working-age people it ever has in 2056: 5,909,400 people aged 15–64. In 2023 it had 4,463,790.

100 aged 15–64

45 children

8 aged 65+

aged 15–64 children under 15 aged 65 and over

How to read this: take 100 people of working age — the orange row — and the two rows under it are the children (teal) and the people of 65 and over (violet) who lived alongside them in 2023.

Fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people aged 15–64 in 24 years: 2028–2051.

fewer than 50 dependants per 100 the same, projected 50 or more

How to read this: 1950 on the left, 2100 on the right; coloured in the years with fewer than 50 dependants per 100 working-age people, grey in the rest, hatched where that is a projection.

How every country compares

NIC · arrivals minus departures

Who arrives in Nicaragua, and who leaves

In 2020–2025 Nicaragua loses 8,788 people a year: everyone who arrives, minus everyone who leaves. The age at which that happens most is 25–29, at 1,585 a year more leaving than arriving.

one square = 200 people a year

020406080+

more arrive than leave more leave than arrive

How to read this: age runs left to right, babies to 100. A blue square above the line means arrivals outnumber departures at that age, an orange square below it means the opposite. The figures are the UN's projection for 2020–2025; nobody recorded migration by age before 2020.

In the years that were counted, 1950–2023, the most it gained in one year was -2,175 (1952) and the most it lost was 44,931 (2003).

In 2024, 43,757 people living in Nicaragua had been born in another country, fewer than 1 of every 100 people there, against 1 in 1990.

How migration works everywhere

NIC · births by the mother's age · 1950–2100

Who has the babies in Nicaragua

Of every 100 babies born in Nicaragua in 2023, 24 had a mother under 20, 66 a mother aged 20 to 34 and 10 a mother aged 35 or older. In 1950 it was 16 under 20 and 14 aged 35 or older.

1950
16 · 70 · 14

2023
24 · 66 · 10

2050 · projected
20 · 68 · 12

The mother's age: under 20 20 to 34 35 or older projected

How to read this: one block a year, 100 squares in each, a square for every hundredth baby. The colour is the mother's age group, and the three numbers underneath are those groups in order, youngest first.

Babies born, 2023: 132,214
Average age when women have a baby: 26.0 years; 28.8 in 1950
Babies a year per 1,000 girls aged 15–19: 93; 159 in 1950

Babies by the mother's age, 1950–2100

Babies born in Nicaragua by the mother's age
Mother's age	1950	1975	2000	2023	2050 projected	2100 projected
10–14	618	1,653	2,088	1,805	1,086	81
15–19	11,054	25,805	34,684	29,807	21,475	4,382
20–24	20,447	37,833	44,525	36,284	28,878	13,095
25–29	18,046	28,945	29,804	30,884	28,081	22,667
30–34	11,519	17,958	17,262	20,435	20,877	22,656
35–39	7,170	11,469	8,497	10,274	11,218	12,320
40–44	2,688	4,561	2,685	2,528	2,650	2,802
45–49	486	916	493	197	127	140
50–54	18	36	19	0	0	0
All babies	72,046	129,176	140,057	132,214	114,392	78,143

The UN's births for each year, split by the mother's age in the UN's own proportions.

NIC · healthy years · 2021

Years in good health in Nicaragua

Of the 75.0 years a baby born in Nicaragua in 2021 could expect, about 64.6 would be lived in full health (95% range 63.8–65.5). The years in less than full health come to 10.4, above the world's 9.5.

Women

66.1 in full health, 11.6 not: 77.7 years

Men

63.1 in full health, 9.2 not: 72.3 years

a year in full health a year in less than full health

How to read this: each square is a year of life, each row ten years; filled squares are years in full health, rounded to whole years.

Women: 66.1 healthy years of 77.7. Men: 63.1 of 72.3. In 2019, before the pandemic, the healthy years were 67.7.

NIC · forced from home · end of 2025

Displacement in Nicaragua

UNHCR publishes no refugees, asylum-seekers or displaced people in or from Nicaragua at the end of 2025.

An empty row is not the same as a zero. These figures cover the people one agency works with, so a country it has no operation in has nothing to report here.

In 2025, 42,710 people from Nicaragua asked for asylum in another country. Of every 100 people from Nicaragua whose claims were decided that year, 37 were given protection. Who asks for asylum, and who is given it

How the world's displacement is counted

NIC · of every 100 people

How people live in Nicaragua

Of every 100 people in Nicaragua in 2025, 35 lived in a city, 30 in a town or suburb and 35 in the countryside.

cities towns and suburbs rural areas

11.3 of every 100 have no electricity at home (2024). 38.6 of every 100 do not use the internet (2024).

How to read this: everyone here, shrunk to 100 squares, with the colour saying whether that hundredth person lives in a city, a town or the countryside. Every country is measured by the same rule.

How the world's people live

NIC · adults 25 and over · 2020

How far people in Nicaragua went in school

Of every 100 adults in Nicaragua in 2020, 18 never went to school and 28 finished upper secondary or went further.

18 never went to school 23 some primary 22 finished primary 9 finished lower secondary 16 finished upper secondary 12 studied after school

Among women, 7.1 of every 100 aged 25–29 never went to school, against 30.7 of every 100 aged 60–64; among men, 11.3 against 25.4.

Its people aged 15 to 64 are projected to be most numerous in 2050; the ones who finished upper secondary are most numerous later, in 2080.

How to read this: every adult here as one of 100 squares. The stronger the colour, the further that person went in school (the Wittgenstein Centre, 2020).

How far the world's people went in school

NIC · cities · 2025

Cities in Nicaragua

Nicaragua had 12 cities in 2025, home to 2.4 million people. The largest, Managua, holds 19 of every 100 people in Nicaragua.

Managua1,315,865
Masaya156,536
León156,438
Matagalpa131,533
Esteli111,513
Bilwi106,447
Chinandega103,134
Granada96,971
Tipitapa80,368
Jinotega78,901

How to read this: one bar for each of the 10 largest cities, 2025, all on the same scale. "City" here means the built-up area the UN measures, not the boundary the city draws itself.

All the world's cities

Apparatus

Sources and method

Every figure on this page comes from the UN's World Population Prospects 2024: the annual country tables (estimates to 2023, projections with 95% intervals from 2024), and the population by single year of age and sex for the pyramid.

The censuses, surveys and registers behind the UN's estimates for Nicaragua are listed, source by source, on the UN's own data sources page.

Sources: UN WPP 2024 · World Bank · UNHCR · country code lists · UN WUP 2025 · Wittgenstein Centre · WHO GHO · flag-icons · Natural Earth. Every source, its licence and how to cite it →

Checked before it was drawn

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries The pyramid for every year was checked against the published total. What that stamp counts, and what every page here has to pass before it can be built: how this site checks its figures.