Urban population in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Urban population was 59.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Nicaragua, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Nicaragua recorded 59.4% for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Nicaragua peaked at 59.4% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 39.2%, in 1960.
That places Nicaragua 128th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 39.2% | — |
| 1961 | 39.8% | +1.5% |
| 1962 | 40.4% | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 41.0% | +1.5% |
| 1964 | 41.7% | +1.8% |
| 1965 | 42.6% | +2.2% |
| 1966 | 43.6% | +2.3% |
| 1967 | 44.6% | +2.3% |
| 1968 | 45.6% | +2.2% |
| 1969 | 46.5% | +2.0% |
| 1970 | 47.3% | +1.6% |
| 1971 | 47.8% | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 48.3% | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 48.7% | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 49.1% | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 49.5% | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 49.8% | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 50.2% | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 50.5% | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 50.8% | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 51.1% | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 51.4% | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 51.7% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 51.9% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 52.2% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 52.4% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 52.7% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 52.9% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 53.1% | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 53.3% | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 53.5% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 53.7% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 53.9% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 54.1% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 54.3% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 54.4% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 54.6% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 54.8% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 54.9% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 55.1% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 55.2% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 55.4% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 55.5% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 55.6% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 55.8% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 55.9% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 56.1% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 56.3% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 56.5% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 56.7% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 56.8% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 57.0% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 57.2% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 57.4% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 57.6% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 57.8% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 58.0% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 58.2% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 58.4% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 58.5% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 58.7% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 58.9% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 59.0% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 59.1% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 59.3% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 59.4% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 42.5% | 39.2% | 46.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 49.2% | 47.3% | 50.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 52.3% | 51.1% | 53.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 54.3% | 53.5% | 55.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 55.9% | 55.2% | 56.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.7% | 56.8% | 58.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.1% | 58.7% | 59.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More climate change data for Nicaragua
- 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)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 3.25 kt (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Nicaragua?
- Urban population in Nicaragua was 59.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 59.4% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.2% in 1960.
- How does Nicaragua rank for urban population?
- Nicaragua ranks 128th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nicaragua data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.