Nicaragua Population 2024 (Live)

7,113,538

Nicaragua has one of the healthiest growth rates in the region, and its population is projected to grow to 6.6 million by 2020.

Nicaragua Population Growth

The population of Nicaragua has been very much above average in the past, but the birth rate has slowed significantly in the past couple of decades, which is currently lower than the worldwide average at roughly 2.2 births per woman in the country. This is a good thing considering the amount of poverty in Nicaragua, and the annual growth rate is currently very close to manageable worldwide average at 1.06% as of 2019.

Nicaragua Population Projections

The rate of growth in Nicaragua has been decreasing since the 1970s, trend that is expected to continue in the years to come. Current projections believe that the growth rate will peak in 2020 at 1.08%, before slipping down to 0.36% in 2050. Although the rate of growth will be decreasing, the population as a whole will still be increasing, but at a slower rate. The same predicitions believe that the population of Nicaragua will be 6,416,568 in 2020, 7,046,293 in 2030, 7,548,564 in 2040 and 7,875,742 by 2050.

Population Rank
Growth Rate
2024 World Percentage
Land Area
120,340
The current population of Nicaragua is 7,113,538 based on projections of the latest United Nations data. The UN estimates the July 1, 2024 population at 7,142,529.

Nicaragua Growth Rate

Nicaragua Population 2024 (Live)

Nicaragua Population Clock

Nicaragua Population (as of 3/11/2024)7,113,538
Next UN Estimate (July 1, 2024)7,142,529
Births per Day375
Deaths per Day92
Migrations per Day-22
Net Change per Day261
Population Change Since Jan. 118,531

Components of Population Change

One birth every 3.83 minutes
One death every 15.65 minutes
One emigrant every 65.45 minutes
Net gain of one person every 5.52 minutes

Nicaragua Population Clock

City
2024 Population
Managua973,087
Leon144,538
Masaya130,113
Chinandega126,387
Matagalpa109,089
Esteli96,422
Granada89,409
Jinotega55,000
El Viejo53,504
Nueva Guinea52,929

Nicaragua Area and Population Density

The Central American country of Nicaragua lies sandwiched between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The land is known for its beautiful lakes, volcanoes, and beaches and covers 50,337 square miles (130,370 square kilometers) of space, ranking it the 99th country in the world in terms of area. Using the 2017 population of 6.218 million (the 110th most populous country in the world), there are 124 people per square mile (48 people per square kilometer) living in the Nicaragua, making it the 124th most densely populated country in the world.

Largest Cities in Nicaragua

Nearly two-thirds of the residents of Nicaragua live in urban areas. The most populous city is the capital, Managua, which has a population of more than 1.03 million in the city proper and over 1.34 million in the metropolitan area- these numbers also make Managua the third-largest city in Central America. The city has been inhabited for thousands of years but didn't become the capital until the mid-1800s. The next largest city is the significantly smaller city of León 56 miles northwest of Managua, with a population of slightly over 200,000. 19 miles south of Managua lies the third-largest city, Masaya, with a population of 166,588, which is the agricultural hub of Nicaragua. Other cities in Nicaragua with populations in excess of 100,000 include Matagalpa, Chinandega, Granada, Jinotega, and Esteli.

Nicaragua Population Density Map

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (/km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
20247,142,5291.4%59105154
20237,046,3101.4%59106154
20206,755,8951.38%56107153
20196,663,9241.4%55107152
20186,572,2331.42%55107152
20176,480,5321.43%54107153
20156,298,5981.47%52108152
20105,855,7341.43%49109154
20055,454,6781.26%45109154
20005,123,2221.65%43109154
19954,721,9292.23%39109153
19904,227,8202.36%35114153
19853,763,0342.64%31111154
19803,303,3092.94%27114152
19752,857,4613.17%24118153
19702,444,7673.24%20120156
19652,084,0973.09%17123158
19601,789,6843.06%15123158
19551,539,5512.96%13125160

Nicaragua Population by Year (Historical)

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (/km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
20247,142,5291.4%59105154
20257,237,3131.39%60105155
20307,688,6861.22%64104154
20358,103,3781.06%67105153
20408,478,9040.91%70106154
20458,810,8030.77%73106152
20509,094,6410.64%76104151
20559,324,8050.5%77105149
20609,500,0720.37%79104149
20659,618,3190.25%80104146
20709,678,9650.13%80104148
20759,688,8970.02%81104148
20809,648,950-0.08%80103148
20859,566,650-0.17%79103148
20909,450,485-0.24%79103148
20959,307,034-0.3%77103147

Nicaragua Population by Year (Projections)

Nicaragua Population Pyramid 2024

Nicaragua Median Age

27.3

Total

26.4

Male

28.2

Female

Nicaragua Population by Age

There are people over age 18 in Nicaragua.

Census Years

Year
Date
20172017
200511 June 2005
199525 April 1995

Nicaragua Population Pyramid

Nicaragua Demographics

Nicaragua's population is 69% Mestizo, 17% white, 5% Amerindian and 9% black and other races, although its demographics change with migration. 84% of the country's population lives in urban areas. 17% of the population is of European descent, with the largest ancestry groups being Spanish, German, Italian, English and French. The black population lives primarily on the Caribbean and Atlantic coast of the city and this community is mostly English-speaking Creoles descended from shipwrecked and escaped slaves.

Interestingly, Nicaragua is named for one of its indigenous peoples, the Nicarao, who were once present throughout the western area of the country with a culture and language similar to the Mayans. The indigenous population of Nicaragua has mostly assimilated into the country's mestizo majority.

Nicaragua Religion, Economy and Politics

The majority of people living in Nicaragua practice some form of Christianity. 55% of the population is affiliated with the Catholic Church, 27.2% are Protestant an 0.9% are Jehovah's witnesses. The remaining 16.9% of people in Nicaragua are either another religion or unaffiliated with any, although people are free to practice any religion they there is religious freedom integrated into the nation's constitution.

Nicaragua is both one of the poorest and least developed countries in Central America. The economy is strongly rooted in the agriculture industry, and they export large amounts of coffee, cotton, bananas, and beef. The agriculture industry employs the most people in Nicaragua, but the services sector brings in over half of the country's GDP which includes transportation, commerce, warehousing, tourism, arts, health, education, and banking.

The government of Nicaragua is what is known as a presidential republic, which means that the president is the leader of both the state and the government. The legislative branch in Nicaragua is made up of the National Assembly with 92 members, 20 of which are directly elected by the people. The judicial branch of Nicaragua is independent of the executive and legislative branches and is made up of a supreme court, appeals court, criminal court, and military court.

Nicaragua Population History

Nicaragua was named by a Spanish explorer in the 1500s but didn't become an independent nation until 1838. Nicaragua has managed to stay out of any major wars with huge amounts of casualties since that time. Natural disasters have been a much more significant issue. In 1972, an earthquake in the city of Managua killed between 5,000-10,000. in 1988, a hurricane left 180,000 Nicaraguans homeless. Another earthquake in 1992 left 16,000 people without homes, and another hurricane took the homes of an additional 3,000. The San Cristobal volcano began erupting in 2012 and displaced several more thousand people.

Nicaragua Population Rank 2024
Area (km²)
130,373
2024 Growth Rate
Capital
GDP (IMF '23)
$17.35
GDP (UN '22)
$15.67 Bn

Nicaragua - General Info

Sources