Urban population growth (annual %) in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Urban population growth (annual %) was 1.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Urban population growth in Nicaragua, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population growth in Nicaragua is 1.6%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and down 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Nicaragua peaked at 5.4% in 1967 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 2003.
That places Nicaragua 88th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Urban population growth (annual %) in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.5% | — |
| 1962 | 4.5% | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 4.5% | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 4.8% | +6.4% |
| 1965 | 5.2% | +7.8% |
| 1966 | 5.4% | +3.8% |
| 1967 | 5.4% | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 5.3% | -1.9% |
| 1969 | 5.1% | -4.5% |
| 1970 | 4.7% | -7.2% |
| 1971 | 4.3% | -9.8% |
| 1972 | 3.8% | -10.4% |
| 1973 | 3.8% | -1.3% |
| 1974 | 3.9% | +3.4% |
| 1975 | 3.8% | -1.7% |
| 1976 | 3.8% | -1.7% |
| 1977 | 3.7% | -1.9% |
| 1978 | 3.5% | -4.2% |
| 1979 | 3.3% | -6.5% |
| 1980 | 3.3% | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 3.4% | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 3.3% | -3.3% |
| 1983 | 3.1% | -4.4% |
| 1984 | 3.0% | -5.3% |
| 1985 | 2.8% | -4.1% |
| 1986 | 2.8% | -2.4% |
| 1987 | 2.7% | -2.3% |
| 1988 | 2.7% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 2.7% | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 2.7% | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 2.7% | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 2.6% | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 2.5% | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 2.5% | -3.0% |
| 1995 | 2.4% | -3.7% |
| 1996 | 2.2% | -8.3% |
| 1997 | 2.0% | -9.9% |
| 1998 | 1.8% | -8.2% |
| 1999 | 1.7% | -6.3% |
| 2000 | 1.6% | -3.8% |
| 2001 | 1.5% | -5.5% |
| 2002 | 1.5% | -4.9% |
| 2003 | 1.4% | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 1.4% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 1.6% | +9.6% |
| 2006 | 1.7% | +8.8% |
| 2007 | 1.7% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 1.8% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 1.8% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 1.8% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1.8% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 1.7% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 1.7% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 1.7% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 1.7% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 1.7% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 1.6% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 1.6% | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 1.5% | -3.9% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | -4.2% |
| 2022 | 1.5% | +3.4% |
| 2023 | 1.6% | +5.0% |
| 2024 | 1.6% | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 1.6% | +2.4% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 1.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.7%, 59% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 1.6% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.7%, 2.2× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.0% | 4.5% | 5.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.9% | 3.3% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.0% | 2.7% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.3% | 1.7% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
- 85 East Timor 1.7% compare
- 86 Turkmenistan 1.7% compare
- 87 Australia 1.7% compare
- 89 Cape Verde 1.6% compare
- 90 Maldives 1.6% compare
- 91 Iceland 1.6% compare
More climate change data for Nicaragua
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 98.12 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,149 kt (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,593 kt (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 9,557 kt (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 9.78 kt (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 341.31 kt (2023)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 485.08 kt (2023)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 394.21 kt (2023)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 90.87 kt (2023)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 1.49 kt (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Nicaragua?
- Urban population growth in Nicaragua was 1.6% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 1967.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 2003.
- How does Nicaragua rank for urban population growth?
- Nicaragua ranks 88th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nicaragua data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.