Country explorer: Nicaragua

Nicaragua has experienced notable economic growth and reduction in poverty despite facing challenges such as high inflation rates and fluctuating unemployment, paralleling trends seen in other lower-middle-income countries but with distinct periods of intense economic distress marked by significantly high inflation.

Nicaragua has experienced a gradual population increase alongside a consistent decrease in fertility rates, a significant emigration flow indicative of socio-economic challenges, and improvements in life expectancy, mirroring trends seen in other lower-middle-income countries yet distinct in its demographic shifts and migration patterns.

Nicaragua has demonstrated steady improvements in basic needs, with significant increases in access to clean cooking fuels, electricity, and safely managed drinking water, reflecting sustained efforts towards environmental health and infrastructure development similar to its regional peers.

Nicaragua has witnessed significant progress in human development as indicated by improvements in the Human Development Index, a reduction in child mortality rates, increased literacy rates, and enhanced educational quality, collectively reflecting substantial societal development akin to its Central American peers.

Nicaragua has experienced substantial environmental transformations, evidenced by a dramatic decrease in per capita CO₂ emissions including land-use change and a significant shift towards renewable energy sources, while also facing challenges in managing its renewable freshwater resources and forest area reduction, showcasing a complex balance between environmental preservation and energy transition.

Nicaragua has demonstrated a consistent growth in internet usage and mobile phone subscriptions, indicating a gradual digital transformation reflective of broader global trends, although its investments in research and development remain modest compared to its peers.

Nicaragua has undergone substantial cultural and societal transformations mirroring trends in gender equality, consistent yet modest increase in life satisfaction, and a stable age dependency ratio, indicative of gradual economic and social progress that aligns it closely with broader lower-middle-income country developments.

Nicaragua has experienced significant deterioration in governance, characterized by a sharp decline in the rule of law, increasing perceptions of corruption, severely restricted political and civil liberties, and reduced press freedom, positioning it as succumbing to authoritarianism more severely than many of its regional peers.