Nicaragua
Government debt in Nicaragua
Government debt in Nicaragua: 86.4% of GDP in 1997 and 34.6% of GDP in 2025, by IMF estimates.
- Latest, 2025
- 34.6% of GDP
- Since 1997
- −51.8 percentage points
- Rank, 2025
- 117 of 149
- counting from the highest
- Projected, 2031
- 26.8% of GDP
- IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts it at 26.8% of GDP in 2031.
- The highest was 110.4% of GDP in 2002, the lowest 26% of GDP in 2008.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Nicaragua |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 34.6 |
| 2024 | 37.9 |
| 2023 | 42.4 |
| 2022 | 45.9 |
| 2021 | 48.4 |
| 2020 | 49.2 |
| 2019 | 44.2 |
| 2018 | 39.1 |
| 2017 | 34.7 |
| 2016 | 30.9 |
| 2015 | 28.9 |
| 2014 | 28.7 |
| 2013 | 28.8 |
| 2012 | 27.9 |
| 2011 | 28.8 |
| 2010 | 30.4 |
| 2009 | 29.3 |
| 2008 | 26 |
| 2007 | 30.9 |
| 2006 | 51.2 |
| 2005 | 66.6 |
| 2004 | 84.1 |
| 2003 | 109.5 |
| 2002 | 110.4 |
| 2001 | 87.5 |
| 2000 | 95.2 |
| 1999 | 99.8 |
| 1998 | 86.5 |
| 1997 | 86.4 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Nicaragua |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 31.7 |
| 2027 | 28.8 |
| 2028 | 28.4 |
| 2029 | 27.9 |
| 2030 | 27 |
| 2031 | 26.8 |
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 149 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Nicaragua in numbers
Every measure for Nicaragua on one page
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Military
- Military spending0.56% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollars$115M in 2025
- Military spending per person$17 in 2025
- Military share of state spending2.1% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnel12,000 people in 2020
- National power0.04% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workers0.41% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms imports13 million TIV in 2019
- Arms exports18 million TIV in 1993