Nicaragua Population
Nicaragua had an estimated population of 7,007,502 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 108th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.09% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +1.31% a year.
Nicaragua at a glance
How Nicaragua's population is changing
Nicaragua's population is growing: +1.31% a year, which works out to about +91,963 people per year, or +252 a day. Births (19.1 per 1,000) and deaths (4.6 per 1,000) alone would give +1.45% a year; net migration removes about 8,371 people a year (−0.12%). Roughly one in every 1,172 people on Earth lives in Nicaragua.
Population of Nicaragua since 1960
In 1960, Nicaragua had 1,782,370 people. By 2025 that was 7,007,502 — 3.9× larger. The fastest growth came between 1961 and 1971, when the population rose by 36%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1,782,370 | — |
| 1970 | 2,423,065 | +35.9% |
| 1980 | 3,252,403 | +34.2% |
| 1990 | 4,162,559 | +28.0% |
| 2000 | 5,022,633 | +20.7% |
| 2010 | 5,737,450 | +14.2% |
| 2020 | 6,565,267 | +14.4% |
| 2025 | 7,007,502 | +6.7% |
Nicaragua from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Nicaragua at about 186,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 7,007,507 in 2025 (38× 1800) and projects 8,611,726 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2071 at 9,236,795 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 186,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 298,221 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 553,531 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 1,331,445 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 5,022,636 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 7,007,507 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 8,756,437 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 9,221,975 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 8,611,726 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Nicaragua
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 7,007,502. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Managua | 1,315,865 | UN urban centre | 18.78% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Masaya | 156,536 | UN urban centre | 2.23% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | León | 156,438 | UN urban centre | 2.23% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Matagalpa | 131,533 | UN urban centre | 1.88% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Estelí | 111,513 | UN urban centre | 1.59% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Chinandega | 103,134 | UN urban centre | 1.47% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | Granada | 96,971 | UN urban centre | 1.38% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 8 | Tipitapa | 80,368 | UN urban centre | 1.15% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 9 | Jinotega | 78,901 | UN urban centre | 1.13% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 10 | Mateare | 61,234 | GeoNames settlement | 0.87% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Nicaragua compares
Nicaragua has almost the same population as Paraguay (7,013,078).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Nicaragua | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #106 |  Kyrgyzstan | 7,343,064 | +5% | compare → |
| #107 |  Paraguay | 7,013,078 | +0% | compare → |
| #109 |  Serbia | 6,549,143 | −7% | compare → |
| #110 |  Republic of the Congo | 6,484,437 | −7% | compare → |
Compare Nicaragua with any country →
Same region (Latin America & Caribbean): Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela.
Explore around Nicaragua
Land neighbours (2)
Honduras 11,005,850 · 1.6× the population · compare
Costa Rica 5,152,950 · 1.4× smaller · compare
Nicaragua's 2 neighbours together hold 16,158,800 people — 2.3× Nicaragua's population. The most populous is Honduras (11,005,850).
In its region
Nicaragua is the 16th most populous of the 42 economies in Latin America & Caribbean, holding 1.1% of the region's 666,592,570 people.
Rankings
Largest countries, fastest-growing, oldest populations, densest — all rankings.
Cities
Managua, Masaya, León, Matagalpa, Estelí, Chinandega, Granada, Tipitapa — all Nicaragua's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Nicaragua when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.