Government spending as share of GDP in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Government spending as share of GDP was 27.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
27.1%
Change on year
up 4.1%
World rank
91st
of 151 countries
All-time high
49.4%
in 1982
All-time low
9.9%
in 1961
Years of data
63
1960–2024
Government spending as share of GDP in Nicaragua, 1960–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, government spending as share of gdp in Nicaragua stood at 27.1%.
The figure is up 4.1% on the previous year and up 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp in Nicaragua peaked at 49.4% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 9.9%, in 1961.
Nicaragua ranks 91st of 151 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Government spending as share of GDP in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 11.2% | — |
| 1961 | 9.9% | -11.3% |
| 1962 | 10.6% | +7.1% |
| 1963 | 10.5% | -1.3% |
| 1964 | 10.2% | -2.9% |
| 1965 | 10.9% | +6.8% |
| 1966 | 12.2% | +12.4% |
| 1967 | 12.7% | +3.5% |
| 1968 | 10.9% | -14.3% |
| 1969 | 11.1% | +2.2% |
| 1970 | 13.2% | +19.0% |
| 1971 | 15.1% | +14.0% |
| 1972 | 15.1% | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 12.8% | -15.3% |
| 1974 | 15.3% | +19.4% |
| 1975 | 17.5% | +14.2% |
| 1976 | 16.2% | -7.4% |
| 1977 | 19.9% | +22.9% |
| 1978 | 17.7% | -11.1% |
| 1979 | 20.7% | +16.8% |
| 1980 | 30.4% | +47.3% |
| 1981 | 39.3% | +29.1% |
| 1982 | 49.4% | +25.6% |
| 1983 | 33.8% | -31.5% |
| 1984 | 31.9% | -5.6% |
| 1985 | 29.9% | -6.4% |
| 1986 | 26.1% | -12.5% |
| 1988 | 24.8% | -4.9% |
| 1990 | 28.2% | +13.6% |
| 1991 | 16.8% | -40.5% |
| 1992 | 18.4% | +9.5% |
| 1993 | 18.4% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 18.4% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 17.7% | -4.2% |
| 1996 | 18.0% | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 17.9% | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 18.5% | +3.4% |
| 1999 | 22.1% | +19.5% |
| 2000 | 20.6% | -6.9% |
| 2001 | 19.2% | -6.5% |
| 2002 | 18.7% | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 20.9% | +11.5% |
| 2004 | 20.8% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 21.3% | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 21.4% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 21.5% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 21.9% | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 22.7% | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 22.6% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 23.5% | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 24.1% | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 24.2% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 24.6% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 25.4% | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 26.8% | +5.5% |
| 2017 | 27.3% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 27.7% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 27.7% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 28.9% | +4.6% |
| 2021 | 30.0% | +3.7% |
| 2022 | 28.6% | -4.8% |
| 2023 | 26.0% | -8.9% |
| 2024 | 27.1% | +4.1% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 27.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23.3%, 1.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 27.1% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 27.1%, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.0% | 9.9% | 12.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 16.4% | 12.8% | 20.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 33.2% | 24.8% | 49.4% | 8 |
| 1990s | 19.4% | 16.8% | 28.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.9% | 18.7% | 22.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.4% | 22.6% | 27.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.1% | 26.0% | 30.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More economy & growth data for Nicaragua
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.29 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 73.80 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0037 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 10.67 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 1.35 billion BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 21.4 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0687 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 195.53 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 36.36 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending as share of gdp in Nicaragua?
- Government spending as share of gdp in Nicaragua was 27.1% in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 49.4% in 1982.
- What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.9% in 1961.
- How does Nicaragua rank for government spending as share of gdp?
- Nicaragua ranks 91st out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nicaragua data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Sum of all the money spent by the government on goods and services, as a percentage of GDP. It includes interest paid on government debt.