Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita was 20.2% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
20.2%
Change on year
down 8.4%
World rank
87th
of 184 countries
All-time high
30.1%
in 1987
All-time low
4.0%
in 1964
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Nicaragua, 1950–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Nicaragua recorded 20.2% for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.4% on the previous year and up 14.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Nicaragua peaked at 30.1% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 4.0%, in 1964.
That places Nicaragua 87th out of 184 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5.6% | — |
| 1951 | 4.9% | -12.6% |
| 1952 | 4.8% | -1.6% |
| 1953 | 5.1% | +5.7% |
| 1954 | 5.4% | +5.5% |
| 1955 | 5.1% | -5.1% |
| 1956 | 5.3% | +4.3% |
| 1957 | 5.2% | -2.4% |
| 1958 | 5.3% | +1.4% |
| 1959 | 5.1% | -3.4% |
| 1960 | 5.2% | +2.0% |
| 1961 | 5.2% | +1.4% |
| 1962 | 4.9% | -6.9% |
| 1963 | 4.0% | -17.2% |
| 1964 | 4.0% | -1.7% |
| 1965 | 4.0% | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 4.0% | +0.9% |
| 1967 | 4.3% | +6.2% |
| 1968 | 4.1% | -3.6% |
| 1969 | 4.2% | +1.6% |
| 1970 | 4.5% | +7.8% |
| 1971 | 4.6% | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 5.1% | +10.5% |
| 1973 | 4.3% | -15.6% |
| 1974 | 4.1% | -3.5% |
| 1975 | 5.4% | +30.2% |
| 1976 | 5.5% | +2.5% |
| 1977 | 5.4% | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 7.9% | +46.7% |
| 1979 | 13.2% | +68.4% |
| 1980 | 13.3% | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 14.5% | +9.1% |
| 1982 | 17.7% | +21.9% |
| 1983 | 22.4% | +26.9% |
| 1984 | 26.1% | +16.3% |
| 1985 | 27.2% | +4.5% |
| 1986 | 29.9% | +9.7% |
| 1987 | 30.1% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 24.2% | -19.8% |
| 1989 | 20.9% | -13.7% |
| 1990 | 25.8% | +23.8% |
| 1991 | 16.5% | -36.1% |
| 1992 | 15.1% | -8.7% |
| 1993 | 14.9% | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 13.6% | -8.7% |
| 1995 | 13.6% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 12.6% | -7.4% |
| 1997 | 12.2% | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 12.3% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 13.2% | +7.1% |
| 2000 | 13.5% | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 13.4% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 13.6% | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 14.3% | +5.1% |
| 2004 | 14.6% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 15.5% | +5.7% |
| 2006 | 15.8% | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 15.2% | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 16.1% | +6.3% |
| 2009 | 17.1% | +5.9% |
| 2010 | 17.4% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 17.4% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 16.7% | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 17.7% | +6.3% |
| 2014 | 18.8% | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 19.6% | +4.3% |
| 2016 | 20.4% | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 21.2% | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 23.1% | +9.0% |
| 2019 | 23.8% | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 24.7% | +3.9% |
| 2021 | 24.0% | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 22.1% | -8.1% |
| 2023 | 20.2% | -8.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.2% | 4.8% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.4% | 4.0% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.0% | 4.1% | 13.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 22.6% | 13.3% | 30.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.0% | 12.2% | 25.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.9% | 13.4% | 17.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.6% | 16.7% | 23.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.8% | 20.2% | 24.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
- 84 Morocco 20.3% compare
- 85 Tajikistan 20.2% compare
- 86 Palestine, State of 20.2% compare
- 88 Armenia 20.2% compare
- 89 Costa Rica 20.1% compare
- 90 Burkina Faso 19.9% compare
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 share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Nicaragua?
- Share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Nicaragua was 20.2% in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 30.1% in 1987.
- What is the lowest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.0% in 1964.
- How does Nicaragua rank for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- Nicaragua ranks 87th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nicaragua data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Government consumption divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.