Share of population living below national poverty lines in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Share of population living below national poverty lines was 24.9% in 2016. ▼ Falling
Share of population living below national poverty lines in Nicaragua, 1998–2016
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Nicaragua recorded 24.9% for share of population living below national poverty lines in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.
That represents a change of down 15.9% on the previous year and down 48.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living below national poverty lines in Nicaragua peaked at 48.3% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 24.9%, in 2016.
That places Nicaragua 16th out of 70 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top quarter.
Share of population living below national poverty lines in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 47.9% | — |
| 2001 | 45.8% | -4.4% |
| 2005 | 48.3% | +5.5% |
| 2009 | 42.5% | -12.0% |
| 2014 | 29.6% | -30.4% |
| 2016 | 24.9% | -15.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 47.9% | 47.9% | 47.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 45.5% | 42.5% | 48.3% | 3 |
| 2010s | 27.2% | 24.9% | 29.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More poverty & inequality data for Nicaragua
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 0 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 2.22 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,515 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 6.63 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 27.78 (2022)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 27.8% (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living below national poverty lines in Nicaragua?
- Share of population living below national poverty lines in Nicaragua was 24.9% in 2016, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 48.3% in 2005.
- What is the lowest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.9% in 2016.
- How does Nicaragua rank for share of population living below national poverty lines?
- Nicaragua ranks 16th out of 70 countries with data for 2016.
- Is share of population living below national poverty lines rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 48.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nicaragua data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living below national poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty lines. National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys.