Demographics & population — Nicaragua
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Demographics & population at a glance
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators. Key figure for Nicaragua: 6,203,441
Immigration rules and fees change frequently — confirm current requirements on official government or embassy websites.
Population overview
- Population
6,203,441
- Population Growth Rate
1.05%
- Urban Population
- Population in Major Urban Areas
MANAGUA (capital) 970,000
Age & family
- Age Structure
- Median Age
- Birth Rate - births/1,000 population
19
- Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population
5.06
- Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman
2.03
- Contraceptive Prevalance Rate - female 12-49
72.4%
- Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 12-49
72.4%
- Mean Age for Mother's First Birth (age 25-49)
19.7
- Mother's mean age at first birth
19.7
- Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female
Migration
- Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population
-3.26
Ethnicity & language
- Ethnic Groups
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5%
- Nationality Noun
Nicaraguan(s)
Education
- Literacy - total population
67.5%
- Literacy - male
67.2%
- Literacy - female
67.8%
- Literacy Definition
age 15 and over can read and write
- Education Expenditures - percent of GDP
4.6%
- Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary)
Health & living conditions
- Life Expectancy at Birth
- Infant Mortality Rate
- Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births
- Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births
95
- Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population
.37
- Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population
1.1
- Health Expenditures - percent of GDP
10.1%
- Major Infectious Diseases - degree of risk
high
- Obesity - adult prevalence rate
22.2%
- Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved
- Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved
- Underweight - percent of children under five years
5.7%