Unemployment rate in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Unemployment rate was 5.04 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rate in Nicaragua, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment rate in Nicaragua is 5.04, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Nicaragua peaked at 8.16 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 3.3, in 2017.
That places Nicaragua 99th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.91 | — |
| 1992 | 7.81 | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 7.83 | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 7.67 | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 7.41 | -3.3% |
| 1996 | 7.12 | -4.0% |
| 1997 | 7.1 | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 7.2 | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 7.18 | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 7.18 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 7.22 | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 7.52 | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 7.6 | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 6.41 | -15.7% |
| 2005 | 5.37 | -16.2% |
| 2006 | 5.31 | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 4.89 | -7.9% |
| 2008 | 6.2 | +26.8% |
| 2009 | 8.16 | +31.6% |
| 2010 | 7.83 | -4.0% |
| 2011 | 6.61 | -15.5% |
| 2012 | 5.21 | -21.2% |
| 2013 | 5.28 | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 4.52 | -14.4% |
| 2015 | 4.7 | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 3.9 | -17.0% |
| 2017 | 3.3 | -15.4% |
| 2018 | 5.2 | +57.6% |
| 2019 | 5.46 | +4.9% |
| 2020 | 6.18 | +13.2% |
| 2021 | 6.08 | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 4.97 | -18.2% |
| 2023 | 4.7 | -5.5% |
| 2024 | 4.98 | +6.0% |
| 2025 | 5.04 | +1.2% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 5.04 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.06, 100% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 5.04 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 5.99, 84% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rate in Nicaragua changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | +57.6% | 3.3 | 5.2 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.47 | 7.1 | 7.91 | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.59 | 4.89 | 8.16 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.2 | 3.3 | 7.83 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.32 | 4.7 | 6.18 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More work & labour data for Nicaragua
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 1.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 1.41 % change on previous year (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 1.36 % change on previous year (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2248 % change on previous year (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.45 % change on previous year (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 3,954 1000 No (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 2,653 1000 No (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 3,468 1000 No (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 3,356 1000 No (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 6,916 1000 No (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate in Nicaragua?
- Unemployment rate in Nicaragua was 5.04 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 8.16 in 2009.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3 in 2017.
- How does Nicaragua rank for unemployment rate?
- Nicaragua ranks 99th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nicaragua data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).