Nicaragua (Republic of Nicaragua)

Nicaragua Republic of Nicaragua
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	114th best
Capital	Managua
Land Area	120 340km21
Location	North America, The Americas, Central America
Population	6.5m2
Life Expectancy	73.84yrs (2017)3
GNI	$5 625 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	NI, NIC, 5585
Internet Domain	.ni6
Currency	Cordoba (NIO)7
Telephone	+5058

1. Overview
2. Nicaragua National and Social Development
3. Nicaragua's Demographics and Migration
4. Nicaragua's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
   1. Human Rights & Tolerance Datasets
   2. Gender Equality Datasets
   3. Prejudice Datasets
5. Nicaragua's Health
   1. Health Datasets
   2. Children's Health Datasets
6. Nicaragua's Responsibility Towards The Environment
7. Nicaragua's Modernity and Learning
   1. Modernity Datasets
   2. Education Datasets
   3. Technology and Information Datasets
8. Nicaragua's Culture, Peace and Inequality
   1. National Culture Datasets
   2. Peace Versus Instability Datasets
   3. Economic Inequality and Poverty Datasets
9. Religion and Beliefs
10. Links

---

1. Overview

“The Pacific coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony from Panama in the early 16th century. Independence from Spain was declared in 1821 and the country became an independent republic in 1838. Britain occupied the Caribbean Coast in the first half of the 19th century, but gradually ceded control of the region in subsequent decades. Violent opposition to governmental manipulation and corruption spread to all classes by 1978 and resulted in a short-lived civil war that brought the Marxist Sandinista guerrillas to power in 1979. Nicaraguan aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador caused the US to sponsor anti-Sandinista contra guerrillas through much of the 1980s. After losing free and fair elections in 1990, 1996, and 2001, former Sandinista President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra was elected president in 2006 and reelected in 2011. The 2008 municipal elections, 2010 regional elections, November 2011 presidential elections, and 2012 municipal elections were marred by widespread irregularities. Nicaragua's infrastructure and economy - hard hit by the earlier civil war and by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 - are slowly being rebuilt, but democratic institutions have been weakened under the ORTEGA administration.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Affable Nicaragua embraces travelers with offerings of volcanic landscapes, colonial architecture, sensational beaches and pristine forests that range from breathtaking to downright incredible. There are few destinations with such beauty that are as undeveloped as Nicaragua. Before you know it, you´ve dropped off the tourist trail and into a world of majestic mountains, cooperative farms, wetlands thronged with wildlife and empty jungle-clad beaches. Forge on and discover remote indigenous communities, overgrown pre-Columbian ruins and untouched rainforests.

Nicaragua´s diverse geography is perfect for exhilarating outdoor adventures. There are no signs, no crowds and no holding back. From the crystalline Caribbean to the pounding Pacific, Nicaragua´s beaches also deliver the goods. The big barrels of Rivas are revered in surfing circles while the clear waters of the Corn Islands are superb for snorkeling.

Nicaragua is not all action - its colonial splendor comes in two distinct, but equally appealing, flavors: the elegant streetscapes of Granada, Nicaragua´s best-preserved colonial town, have an architectural grace, while less polished León is a vibrant city too busy to feel like a museum.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Nicaragua National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better Value11
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
123=	Belize	0.683
123=	Morocco	0.683
125	El Salvador	0.675
126	Nicaragua	0.667
127	Bhutan	0.666
128	Cape Verde	0.662
129	Bangladesh	0.661
130	Tuvalu	0.641
	The Americas Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $11
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
130	Belize	$6 309
131	Cape Verde	$6 230
132	Ghana	$5 745
133	Nicaragua	$5 625
134	Bangladesh	$5 472
135	Angola	$5 466
136	Samoa	$5 308
137	Honduras	$5 298
	The Americas Avg	$16 628
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank12
1	Denmark	27.2
2	Norway	29.2
3	Sweden	30.2
	...
111	India	93.4
112	Botswana	94.6
113	Kyrgyzstan	94.7
114	Nicaragua	95.4
115	Venezuela	95.8
116	Tonga	96.0
117	Suriname	96.2
118	Palau	96.5
	The Americas Avg	82.3
	World Avg	89.2
q=200.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Nicaragua's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population Datasets:

Nicaragua's population is predicted to rise to 7.24 million by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 2.28. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1, once you take mortality into account₁₃. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₄

Population2
Pos.		2018 Population2
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
106	Paraguay	7.0m
107	Lebanon	6.9m
108	Libya	6.7m
109	Nicaragua	6.5m
110	El Salvador	6.4m
111	Kyrgyzstan	6.3m
112	Turkmenistan	5.9m
113	Singapore	5.8m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
70	Morocco	74.0
71	Iran	73.9
72	Macedonia	73.8
73	Nicaragua	73.8
74	Tunisia	73.8
75	Lithuania	73.7
76	Cuba	73.7
77	Ecuador	73.7
	World Avg	71.28
q=195. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best15
Pos.		202215
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
36	St Vincent & Grenadines	1.78
37	Brunei	1.76
38	Dominican Rep.	2.25
39	Nicaragua	2.28
40	Panama	2.30
41	Morocco	2.30
42	Ireland	1.70
43	Colombia	1.69
	World Avg	2.47
q=208. Also scored for 1960s-2010s.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better16
Pos.		2016 Per 10016
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
87=	Myanmar	12.5
87=	India	12.5
89	Bolivia	12.7
90	Nicaragua	13.1
91	Paraguay	13.2
92	Iran	13.4
93	Samoa	13.7
94	Algeria	14.0
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

Migration Datasets:

Immigrants17
Pos.		2017 %17
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
163	Jamaica	0.8%
164	El Salvador	0.7%
165	Laos	0.7%
166	Nicaragua	0.7%
167	Nigeria	0.6%
168	Algeria	0.6%
169	Mongolia	0.6%
170	Tunisia	0.5%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants18
Pos.		2010 %18
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
51	Iceland	13.0%
52	Bahamas	12.8%
53	Estonia	12.6%
54	Nicaragua	12.5%
55	Latvia	12.3%
56	Luxembourg	11.8%
57	Jordan	11.3%
58	Kyrgyzstan	11.2%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Nicaragua's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Compared to The Americas (2025)19
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank19
1	Canada	17.0
2	Uruguay	30.8
3	Costa Rica	38.8
	...
26	Guyana	90.0
27	St Lucia	90.3
28	Dominica	92.0
29	Nicaragua	94.0
30	Venezuela	94.1
31	St Kitts & Nevis	98.9
32	Haiti	104.1
33	Cuba	106.0
34	Grenada	107.1
	The Americas Avg	75.88
q=35.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)19
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank19
1	Sweden	7.5
2	Netherlands	8.6
3	Denmark	9.0
	...
97	Dominica	92.0
98	Nepal	93.0
99	Burkina Faso	93.5
100	Nicaragua	94.0
101	Venezuela	94.1
102	Senegal	94.6
103	Kosovo	96.1
104	Singapore	97.8
	World Avg	90.04
q=198.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, The Netherlands and Denmark₂₀. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are Somalia, Eritrea and Saudi Arabia₂₀.

30 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on supporting press freedom, combatting modern slavery, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₂₀, whereas the worst are The Middle East, Africa and Asia₂₀.

For more, see:

• " Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

4.1. Human Rights & Tolerance Datasets

#freedom #human_rights #international_law #mass_media #nicaragua #politics #slavery

Press Freedom Higher is better21
Pos.		202521
1	Norway	92.31
2	Estonia	89.46
3	Netherlands	88.64
	...
168	Myanmar	25.32
169	Egypt	24.74
170	Russia	24.57
171	Nicaragua	22.83
172	Vietnam	19.74
173	Turkmenistan	19.14
174	Afghanistan	17.88
175	Iran	16.22
	The Americas Avg	55.99
	World Avg	54.65
q=179. Also scored for 2000s-2010s.

In 2003, Nicaragua was 34th in the world on the Press Freedom Index, a respectable position, but almost every year it's situation has significantly declined. This trend continued in the 2000s, 2010s and into the 2020s, making it now one of the worst countries.

Slavery in the 2020s Lower is better22
Pos.		Slavery in the 2020s Per 100022
1=	Switzerland	0.50
1=	Norway	0.50
3=	Germany	0.60
	...
107=	Djibouti	7.10
107=	Bangladesh	7.10
109	Bolivia	7.20
110=	Nicaragua	7.30
110=	Ivory Coast	7.30
110=	Jamaica	7.30
113	Uzbekistan	7.40
114=	Romania	7.50
	The Americas Avg	5.84
	World Avg	7.15
q=160. Also scored for 2010s-2020s.

Freedom in the World Lower is better
Pos.		2024 Score
1=	Norway	1.0
1=	Canada	1.0
1=	Cape Verde	1.0
	...
178=	UAE	6.5
178=	Congo, DR	6.5
178=	Libya	6.5
178=	Nicaragua	6.5
178=	Russia	6.5
178=	Cuba	6.5
178=	Saudi Arabia	6.5
178=	Laos	6.5
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.7
q=205. Also scored for 1970s-2010s.

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better23
Pos.		2009 Treaties23
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
	...
57=	Rwanda	19
57=	Finland	19
57=	Netherlands	19
57=	Nicaragua	19
57=	Canada	19
57=	Kazakhstan	19
57=	Luxembourg	19
57=	Greece	19
	The Americas Avg	16.5
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better24
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty24
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
62	Cuba	7.80
63	Guyana	7.85
64	Tanzania	8.05
65	Nicaragua	8.10
66	Guatemala	8.10
67	Netherlands	8.29
68	Belgium	8.30
69	Greece	8.44
	The Americas Avg	8.45
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Amnesty International's 2023-23 report on the state of the world's human rights, had little to say about Nicaragua: "The human rights crisis persisted. Human rights defenders, journalists and other activists continued to be harassed and criminalized. Those detained in the context of the crisis faced harsh conditions of detention and were not guaranteed fair trials. Indigenous peoples’ rights remained at risk"₂₅.

4.2. Gender Equality Datasets

#gender #gender_equality #human_rights #misogyny #politics #prejudice #women

The 1950s saw a late rush of 43 countries, including Nicaragua and many developing nations, move to cease preventing women from voting. Nicaragua has made some steps towards ending gender inequality but much more needs to be done.

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)
• "Christianity and Women: Biblical Misogyny and Male Dominance" by Vexen Crabtree (2019)

Gender Inequality Lower is better26
Pos.		202226
1	Denmark	0.01
2	Norway	0.01
3	Switzerland	0.02
	...
93	Panama	0.39
94	Egypt	0.39
95	Rwanda	0.40
96	Nicaragua	0.40
97=	Brazil	0.40
97=	S. Africa	0.40
99	Suriname	0.41
100	Colombia	0.41
	The Americas Avg	0.36
	World Avg	0.34
q=166. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Gender Biases Lower is better27
Pos.		2022 %27
1	Sweden	31.828
2	New Zealand	34.429
3	Australia	37.029
	...
45	Armenia	92.129
46	Ecuador	92.329
47	Venezuela	92.429
48	Nicaragua	93.229
49	Kazakhstan	93.429
50	Morocco	93.729
51	Vietnam	93.829
52	Georgia	94.728
	The Americas Avg	82.90
	World Avg	83.93
q=88.

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		Year Women Can Vote Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
99=	Colombia	1954
99=	Belize	1954
99=	Ghana	1954
102=	Nicaragua	1955
102=	Ethiopia	1955
102=	Peru	1955
102=	Eritrea	1955
102=	Honduras	1955
	The Americas Avg	1947
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

4.3. Prejudice Datasets

#2020s #antisemitism #freethought #homosexuality #religious_tolerance

Anti-Semite Opinions Lower is better30
Pos.		2014 %30
1	Laos	0
2	Philippines	3
3	Sweden	4
	...
54=	Uruguay	33
54=	Croatia	33
54=	Botswana	33
57	Nicaragua	34
58=	Romania	35
58=	Cameroon	35
58=	Paraguay	35
58=	Kenya	35
	The Americas Avg	29.7
	World Avg	36.8
q=101.

LGBT Equality in the 2020s Higher is better31
Pos.		LGBT Equality in the 2020s Score31
1=	Germany	4.88
1=	Spain	4.88
3	Portugal	4.81
	...
83	Kazakhstan	0.41
84	Suriname	0.34
85	India	0.30
86=	Nicaragua	0.23
86=	Vietnam	0.23
88	Bhutan	0.21
89	Moldova	0.20
90	Slovakia	0.18
	The Americas Avg	0.41
	World Avg	-1.21
q=215. Also scored for 1970s-2020s.

Homosexuality in Nicaragua has been legal since March 2008, overturning the 1992 Criminal Code's Article 204 that had made being homosexual illegal, under influence from the Catholic Church, was disliked talk of tolerance for homosexuals. Even after 2008, same-sex relationships remain unrecognized and LGBT people face significant social stigma despite limited anti-discrimination protections. ILGA researchers in 2017 found that Nicaragua had legal protections against anti-LGBT employment discrimination, hate crime, and other protections.

Actions taken at the United Nations:

•  ⇡  In 2025, signed the UN Human Rights Council Joint statement on ending acts of violence and human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Freedom of Thought Lower is better32
Pos.		202132
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
	...
138=	Togo	3.5
138=	Poland	3.5
138=	Guyana	3.5
138=	Nicaragua	3.5
138=	Papua New Guinea	3.5
138=	Solomon Islands	3.5
138=	Kazakhstan	3.5
138=	Suriname	3.5
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

5. Nicaragua's Health

#health

Compared to The Americas (2025)33
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank33
1	Antigua & Barbuda	62.3
2	Canada	63.9
3	Cuba	64.7
	...
33	Paraguay	108.2
34	Honduras	108.2
35	Puerto Rico	108.3
36	Venezuela	110.1
37	Nicaragua	111.1
38	Guatemala	116.5
39	Suriname	117.8
40=	Bolivia	124.1
41	Haiti	126.1
	The Americas Avg	91.99
q=41.

Health (2025)33
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank33
1	Monaco	10.3
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	Japan	40.8
	...
135	Cambodia	109.8
136	Myanmar	110.1
137	Venezuela	110.1
138	Nicaragua	111.1
139	India	111.6
140	Egypt	113.2
141	Nepal	115.8
142	Guatemala	116.5
	World Avg	97.39
q=207.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and Japan₃₄. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are Angola, Somalia and S. Sudan₃₄.

42 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, obesity rate, its adolescent birth rate, delivery rate of infant DTP immunizations, delivery rate of 7x Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 and childhood mortality. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Mediterranean₃₄, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Africa and Melanesia₃₄.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

5.1. Health Datasets

#2010s #alcohol #birth_control #children's_health #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #nicaragua #obesity #overpopulation #suicide #vaccines

Nicaragua does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Nicaragua does the best in terms of delivery rate of infant DTP immunizations in the 2020s₃₅. It does better than average for its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₆ (amongst the lowest in The Americas), its fertility rate₁₅, delivery rate of 7x Infant Immunizations 2011-2015₃₇, its suicide rate₃₈, its average life expectancy₁₁ and in its alcohol consumption rate₃₉. But, there's bad news too. Nicaragua does worse than average for childhood mortality in the 2020s₄₀, the prevalence of overweight adults₄₁ and in its adolescent birth rate₄₂ (the highest in The Americas). The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% between 1976 and 2016. Life expectancy in Nicaragua improved by +11yrs in the 30 years from 1990, better than the global average of +7.9yrs. Nicaragua is amongst only 41 countries who have seen their fertility rate drop by more than 4 since the 1960s. Its peak fertility rate was 7.16 in 1960.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
70	Morocco	74.0
71	Iran	73.9
72	Macedonia	73.8
73	Nicaragua	73.8
74	Tunisia	73.8
75	Lithuania	73.7
76	Cuba	73.7
77	Ecuador	73.7
	The Americas Avg	72.58
	World Avg	71.28
q=195. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better39
Pos.		2016 Per Capita39
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
79=	Zimbabwe	4.8
80	Lesotho	5.0
81	Suriname	5.1
82	Nicaragua	5.2
83	Turkmenistan	5.4
84	Armenia	5.5
85	Venezuela	5.6
86=	Sierra Leone	5.7
	The Americas Avg	6.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best15
Pos.		202215
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
36	St Vincent & Grenadines	1.78
37	Brunei	1.76
38	Dominican Rep.	2.25
39	Nicaragua	2.28
40	Panama	2.30
41	Morocco	2.30
42	Ireland	1.70
43	Colombia	1.69
	The Americas Avg	1.80
	World Avg	2.47
q=208. Also scored for 1960s-2010s.

Suicide Rate in the 2010s Lower is better38
Pos.		Suicide Rate in the 2010s Per 100k38
1=	Jordan	1.00
1=	Sao Tome & Principe	1.00
1=	Antigua & Barbuda	1.00
	...
54	Guinea	5.06
55	Cyprus	5.16
56	Bhutan	5.18
57	Nicaragua	5.24
58	Chad	5.30
59	Israel	5.35
60	Guatemala	5.36
61	Ethiopia	5.38
	The Americas Avg	8.02
	World Avg	9.24
q=185. Also scored for 2000s-2010s.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better36
Pos.		2017 Rank36
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
27	Estonia	27
28	Austria	28
29	Greece	29
30	Nicaragua	30
31	Armenia	31
32	Bangladesh	32
33	Hungary	33
34	Macedonia	34
	The Americas Avg	94.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better41
Pos.		1976 %41
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
111=	Montenegro	32.1
111=	Cuba	32.1
113=	Azerbaijan	32.2
113=	Nicaragua	32.2
115	Belize	32.4
116	Bosnia & Herzegovina	32.6
117	Colombia	32.7
118	Tunisia	32.8
	The Americas Avg	30.7
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better43
Pos.		2022 %43
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
149	Costa Rica	32.0%
150	Paraguay	32.1%
151	Brunei	32.4%
152	Nicaragua	32.4%
153	Palestine	32.8%
154	St Vincent & Grenadines	33.6%
155	Greece	33.7%
156	Fiji	33.8%
	The Americas Avg	32.0%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

5.2. Children's Health Datasets

#children's_health #health #parenting #population #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better42
Pos.		2022 Per 100042
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
164	Sudan	77.6
165	Afghanistan	79.7
166	Venezuela	82.0
167	Nicaragua	84.0
168	Guinea-Bissau	85.8
169	Lesotho	89.1
170	Gabon	89.8
171	Benin	90.8
	The Americas Avg	48.1
	World Avg	43.8
q=195. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Infant DTP Immunizations (2020s) Higher is better35
Pos.		Infant DTP Immunizations (2020s) Avg %35
1=	Luxembourg	99.0
1=	Oman	99.0
1=	Niue	99.0
1=	French Polynesia	99.0
1=	Monaco	99.0
1=	Portugal	99.0
1=	Nicaragua	99.0
1=	Brunei	99.0
1=	Tonga	99.0
1=	Cuba	99.0
1=	Hungary	99.0
12	N. Korea	98.7
	The Americas Avg	87.5
	World Avg	88.5
q=211. Also scored for 1980s-2020s.

7x Infant Immunizations (2011-2015) Higher is better37
Pos.		2015 Avg %37
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
49	Sao Tome & Principe	96.0
50	Malaysia	96.0
51	Croatia	95.9
52	Nicaragua	95.9
53	Tunisia	95.7
54	Japan	95.7
55	Portugal	95.7
56=	Qatar	95.6
	The Americas Avg	91.3
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Infant Mortality (2020s) Lower is better40
Pos.		Infant Mortality (2020s) Per 100040
1	San Marino	2.11
2	Finland	2.59
3	Luxembourg	2.60
	...
100	Nauru	18.87
101	St Kitts & Nevis	19.01
102	Vanuatu	19.11
103	Nicaragua	19.21
104	Cape Verde	20.21
105	Mongolia	20.26
106	Venezuela	20.47
107	Suriname	20.80
	The Americas Avg	18.99
	World Avg	32.19
q=195. Also scored for 1960s-2020s.

Nicaragua was amongst 49 countries in the 1990s who had an adolescent birth rate of over 100 (per 1000 girls aged 15-19); in the 2000s it was still amongst only 37 countries that fell into the same grouping.

6. Nicaragua's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #nicaragua #over-exploitation #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to The Americas (2025)44
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank44
1	Uruguay	43.2
2	Puerto Rico	47.1
3	Costa Rica	49.7
	...
13	Argentina	78.5
14	Dominica	78.5
15	Cuba	79.4
16	Nicaragua	80.5
17	Bolivia	81.8
18	Panama	82.5
19	Honduras	84.6
20	Venezuela	86.1
21	Canada	87.2
	The Americas Avg	82.39
q=36.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)44
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank44
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
89	Iran	79.0
90	Cuba	79.4
91	Algeria	79.7
92	Nicaragua	80.5
93	Slovakia	80.8
94	Poland	81.0
95	UAE	81.8
96	Bolivia	81.8
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₄₅. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

In terms of its responsibility towards the environment, Nicaragua comes 92nd in the world. This is formulated from 21 data sets. Nicaragua comes in the best 20 in the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₄₆. It does better than average in reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₇ (one of the best in The Americas), energy to GDP efficiency₄₈ and in its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment. Nicaragua still has work to do. Nicaragua does worse than average for its environmental performance₄₉. And finally, it is second-from-the-bottom for its forested percent change 2000-2020₅₀.

Environmental Performance Higher is better49
Pos.		201849
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
94	Georgia	55.7
95	Kiribati	55.3
96	Bahrain	55.2
97	Nicaragua	55.0
98	Bahamas	55.0
99	Kyrgyzstan	54.9
100	Nigeria	54.8
101	Kazakhstan	54.6
	The Americas Avg	58.8
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better48
Pos.		2022 Avg48
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
66	France	0.95
67	Portugal	0.95
68	Uruguay	0.96
69	Nicaragua	0.96
70	Zambia	0.97
71	Equatorial Guinea	0.98
72	India	0.98
73	Spain	0.98
	The Americas Avg	1.42
	World Avg	1.23
q=165. Also scored for 1960s-2010s.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		International Accords on the Environment Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
67	El Salvador	64%
68	Iran	64%
69	Argentina	64%
70	Nicaragua	64%
71	Trinidad & Tobago	63%
72	Egypt	63%
73	Guyana	63%
74	Uganda	62%
	The Americas Avg	60.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197. Also scored for 1970s-2020s.

Nicaragua was one of the early adopters of the Kyoto Protocol in 1999.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better46
Pos.		2011 %46
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
11	Bolivia	69.3%
12	Paraguay	68.9%
13	Mexico	67.0%
14	Nicaragua	67.0%
15	El Salvador	66.8%
16	Indonesia	66.5%
17	Japan	64.7%
18	Panama	64.6%
	The Americas Avg	58.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

Meat Consumption Lower is better47
Pos.		2021 kg47
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
54	Egypt	29.1
55	Laos	29.8
56	Botswana	30.1
57	Nicaragua	31.5
58	Iran	31.6
59	Morocco	32.1
60	Tajikistan	32.4
61	Mauritania	32.4
	The Americas Avg	70.3
	World Avg	52.5
q=185. Also scored for 2010s.

7. Nicaragua's Modernity and Learning

#education #modernity #technology #the_internet

Compared to The Americas (2025)51
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank51
1	Canada	28.7
2	Argentina	39.3
3	Chile	43.4
	...
22	Trinidad & Tobago	83.1
23	El Salvador	85.4
24	Antigua & Barbuda	87.5
25	Nicaragua	90.7
26	Guatemala	92.4
27	Dominica	94.3
28	Honduras	97.5
29	St Vincent & Grenadines	98.7
30	St Lucia	98.9
	The Americas Avg	79.58
q=36.

Modernity & Learning (2025)51
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank51
1	Finland	6.1
2	Iceland	8.1
3	Denmark	8.8
	...
109	Cape Verde	87.7
110	Jordan	88.0
111	Iran	89.6
112	Nicaragua	90.7
113	Saudi Arabia	91.7
114	Guatemala	92.4
115	Libya	92.8
116	Dominica	94.3
	World Avg	84.96
q=197.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Iceland and Denmark₅₂. The worst countries are S. Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia₅₂. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₅₃.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”

Bill Emmott (2017)₅₄

27 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Intellectual Endeavours, metric system adoption rate, Religiosity, IQ, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Maths, Science & Reading, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₅₂, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₅₂.

For more, see:

• " Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

7.1. Modernity Datasets

#intelligence #metric #religion #religiosity #secularisation

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better36
Pos.		2017 Rank36
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
107	Thailand	107
108	Yemen	108
109	Brazil	109
110	Nicaragua	110
111	Togo	111
112	Belize	112
113	Algeria	113
114	Bahamas	114
	The Americas Avg	99.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Metric System Adoption Rate Higher is better55
Pos.		2025 %55
1=	Slovakia	100
1=	Poland	100
1=	Portugal	100
	...
78=	Panama	95
78=	Lithuania	95
78=	Macedonia	95
78=	Nicaragua	95
78=	Malaysia	95
78=	Morocco	95
78=	Montenegro	95
78=	Malta	95
	The Americas Avg	90
	World Avg	92
q=187. Also scored for 1960s-2020s.

Nicaragua officially adopted metric in 1893₅₆. Progression:

• 1960 (70%): Metric official; traditional units common informally.
• 1970 (85%): Standardization in commerce/education.
• 1980 (95%): Metric dominant across sectors.
• 2000 (95%).
• 2025 (95%).

Religiosity Lower is better57
Pos.		2018 %57
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
84=	Mozambique	87
85=	Congo, DR	88
85=	Nigeria	88
85=	Nicaragua	88
88=	Djibouti	89
88=	Ghana	89
88=	Guatemala	89
91=	Honduras	90
	The Americas Avg	65.4
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

IQ Higher is better58
Pos.		200658
1=	Hong Kong	108
1=	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
96=	Madagascar	82
97=	Egypt	81
97=	Honduras	81
97=	Nicaragua	81
100	El Salvador	80
101=	Guatemala	79
101=	Sri Lanka	79
103	Nepal	78
	The Americas Avg	85.3
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

7.2. Education Datasets

#education

Secondary Education Higher is better59
Pos.		201859
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
114	Congo, (Brazzaville)	48.8%
115	Iraq	48.0%
116	Paraguay	47.8%
117	Nicaragua	47.5%
118	Maldives	47.1%
119	Bangladesh	46.7%
120	St Lucia	46.0%
121	Thailand	44.8%
	The Americas Avg	63.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better60
Pos.		2021 Years60
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
119	Venezuela	12.8
120	Malawi	12.7
121	El Salvador	12.7
122	Nicaragua	12.6
123	Qatar	12.6
124	Maldives	12.6
125	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	12.6
126	Cape Verde	12.6
	The Americas Avg	14.2
	World Avg	13.5
q=193. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

7.3. Technology and Information Datasets

#the_internet

Internet Users (2020s) Higher is better
Pos.		Internet Users (2020s)
1=	Iceland	99%
1=	Kuwait	99%
1=	UAE	99%
	...
138	Honduras	53%
139	Guatemala	52%
140	India	50%
141	Nicaragua	49%
142	Nepal	48%
143	Tajikistan	47%
144	Lesotho	46%
145	Sri Lanka	45%
	The Americas Avg	75.7%
	World Avg	67.8%
q=188. Also scored for 1990s-2020s.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better61
Pos.		2017 Ratio61
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
134=	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	0.0
134=	Honduras	0.0
134=	Syria	0.0
134=	Nicaragua	0.0
134=	Solomon Islands	0.0
134=	Congo, (Brazzaville)	0.0
134=	Sao Tome & Principe	0.0
134=	Kiribati	0.0
	The Americas Avg	3.36
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

8. Nicaragua's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#charitability #culture #equality #human_development #inequality #peace

Compared to The Americas (2025)62
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank62
1	Canada	20.9
2	USA	40.1
3	Costa Rica	46.8
	...
25	Dominican Rep.	87.9
26	Honduras	88.1
27	Cuba	88.2
28	Bolivia	88.7
29	Colombia	90.6
30	Suriname	90.9
31	Nicaragua	91.1
32	Venezuela	104.6
33	Haiti	125.8
	The Americas Avg	76.34
q=33.

Culture, Peace & Inequality (2025)62
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank62
1	Denmark	10.4
2	Netherlands	11.8
3	Finland	12.2
	...
108	Colombia	90.6
109	Russia	90.7
110	Suriname	90.9
111	Nicaragua	91.1
112	India	91.2
113	Vietnam	91.7
114	Egypt	91.9
115	Senegal	92.9
	World Avg	80.47
q=183.

This is the final pillar of the Social and Moral Development Index; it has 39 datasets, including multiple decades of data on resisting corruption, Creativity and Culture, overall happiness, Open Trading, Aid and Development, passport utility (so far), personal financial stability, World Giving Index, its Global Peace Index rating, Peacekeeping and Security, Refugees and UN Treaties, the impact of terrorism, poverty (so far), life expectancy inequality, Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) and Multidimensional Poverty.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Countries for International Contributions, Creativity, Peace and Inequality?" by Vexen Crabtree (2026).

8.1. National Culture Datasets

#charity #corruption #freedom #happiness #internationalism #morals #politics

Nicaragua has a consistently awful long-term record on corruption and things have been getting even worse over the last ten years.

Corruption Higher is better63
Pos.		2022 Points63
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
164=	Congo, (Brazzaville)	21.0
164=	Guinea-Bissau	21.0
166	Congo, DR	20.0
167=	Nicaragua	19.0
167=	Comoros	19.0
167=	Turkmenistan	19.0
167=	Chad	19.0
171=	Equatorial Guinea	17.0
	The Americas Avg	42.97
	World Avg	42.98
q=180. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better36
Pos.		2017 Rank36
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
97	Madagascar	97
98	Bolivia	98
99	El Salvador	99
100	Nicaragua	100
101	Russia	101
102	Vietnam	102
103	Armenia	103
104	Ghana	104
	The Americas Avg	80.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Happiness Higher is better64
Pos.		2024 Score64
1	Finland	7.7
2	Denmark	7.5
3	Iceland	7.5
	...
44	Guatemala	6.4
45	Chile	6.4
46	Vietnam	6.4
47	Nicaragua	6.3
48	Malta	6.3
49	Thailand	6.2
50	Slovakia	6.2
51	Latvia	6.2
	The Americas Avg	6.31
	World Avg	5.58
q=147. Also scored for 2010s.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better36
Pos.		2017 Rank36
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
17	France	17
18	Singapore	18
19	Malaysia	19
20	Nicaragua	20
21	Portugal	21
22	Moldova	22
23	Hungary	23
24	Jordan	24
	The Americas Avg	100.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Passport Reach (2020s) Higher is better65
Pos.		Passport Reach (2020s) Q65
1	Singapore	192.2
2	Japan	192.0
3	S. Korea	190.7
	...
75=	Colombia	131.2
75=	Samoa	131.2
77	Tonga	128.8
78	Nicaragua	127.8
79	Tuvalu	127.5
80	Venezuela	126.8
81	Macedonia	125.8
82	Montenegro	124.8
	The Americas Avg	132.4
	World Avg	108.8
q=195. Also scored for 2000s-2020s.

Personal Financial Stability in the 2020s Higher is better66
Pos.		Personal Financial Stability in the 2020s Score66
1	Denmark	9.06
2	Switzerland	9.00
3	Finland	8.96
	...
91	Serbia	6.33
92	Namibia	6.33
93	Bahamas	6.29
94	Nicaragua	6.25
95	Tajikistan	6.22
96	Mexico	6.20
97	Macedonia	6.16
98	Tunisia	6.14
	The Americas Avg	6.36
	World Avg	6.46
q=165.

World Giving Index Higher is better67
Pos.		2022 %67
1	Indonesia	68.0
2	Kenya	61.0
3	USA	59.0
	...
57=	Germany	41.0
58=	Nepal	40.0
58=	Malaysia	40.0
58=	Nicaragua	40.0
58=	Senegal	40.0
58=	Estonia	40.0
58=	Uruguay	40.0
58=	Turkey	40.0
	The Americas Avg	43.7
	World Avg	39.6
q=125. Also scored for 2010s.

8.2. Peace Versus Instability Datasets

#extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Global Peace Index Lower is better68
Pos.		2023 Score68
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
120	Honduras	2.27
121	Egypt	2.27
122	El Salvador	2.28
123	Nicaragua	2.29
124=	Uganda	2.30
124=	Zimbabwe	2.30
126	India	2.31
127	Guinea	2.36
	The Americas Avg	2.13
	World Avg	2.07
q=163. Also scored for 2010s.

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better36
Pos.		2017 Rank36
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
93	Estonia	93
94	Bahamas	94
95	Mauritania	95
96	Nicaragua	96
97	Peru	97
98	Czechia	98
99	Lithuania	99
100	Luxembourg	100
	The Americas Avg	82.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better36
Pos.		2017 Rank36
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
84	Israel	84
85	Tanzania	85
86	Jamaica	86
87	Nicaragua	87
88	Niger	88
89	India	89
90	Cameroon	90
91	Venezuela	91
	The Americas Avg	91.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism Lower is better69
Pos.		2019 Score69
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
83	Zimbabwe	2.83
84	Peru	2.84
85	Rwanda	2.95
86	Nicaragua	2.95
87	Jordan	3.09
88	Italy	3.11
89	Paraguay	3.12
90	Bahrain	3.20
	The Americas Avg	2.16
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

8.3. Economic Inequality and Poverty Datasets

#capitalism #economics #health #inequality #life_expectancy #poverty #social_development

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better70
Pos.		201970
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
101	Vietnam	12.90
102=	Syria	13.00
102=	Morocco	13.00
104=	Nicaragua	13.10
104=	Mongolia	13.10
106	Honduras	13.30
107	Paraguay	13.80
108=	Uzbekistan	13.90
	The Americas Avg	12.03
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better71
Pos.		2023 %71
1	Slovakia	24.1%72
2	Slovenia	24.3%72
3	Belarus	24.4%73
	...
148	Lesotho	44.9%74
149	Paraguay	45.1%75
150	Comoros	45.3%76
151	Nicaragua	46.2%76
152	Costa Rica	46.7%77
153	Honduras	48.2%78
154	Guatemala	48.3%76
155=	Panama	48.9%77
	The Americas Avg	44.0%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167. Also scored for 1980s-2010s.

Income inequality data is rarely available for Nicaragua - only for 6 years between 1980 and 2019.

Multidimensional Poverty Lower is better79
Pos.		2018 Severity79
1	Armenia	.001
2	Ukraine	.001
3	Serbia	.001
	...
42	Mongolia	.042
43	Peru	.053
44	Gabon	.066
45	Nicaragua	.074
46	Swaziland	.081
47	Morocco	.085
48	Honduras	.090
49	Sao Tome & Principe	.092
	The Americas Avg	.045
	World Avg	.154
q=101.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #religiosity #secularisation

Religiosity (2018)57
Pos.		Lower is better %57
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
84=	Mozambique	87
85=	Congo, DR	88
85=	Nigeria	88
85=	Nicaragua	88
88=	Djibouti	89
88=	Ghana	89
88=	Guatemala	89
91=	Honduras	90
91=	Cameroon	90
91=	Rwanda	90
91=	Liberia	90
95=	Morocco	91
95=	Guinea-Bissau	91
95=	Philippines	91
95=	Zambia	91
99	Afghanistan	92
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Disbelief In God (2007)80
Pos.		Higher is better %80
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
71=	Turkmenistan	2
71=	Indonesia	2
73=	Paraguay	1
73=	Nicaragua	1
73=	Bolivia	1
73=	Colombia	1
73=	Costa Rica	1
73=	Honduras	1
73=	Brazil	1
73=	Ecuador	1
73=	S. Africa	1
73=	Venezuela	1
73=	Peru	1
73=	Guatemala	1
73=	El Salvador	1
73=	Panama	1
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Pew Forum polling over the decades has found the following adherency rates:₈₁:

	2010	2020
Christian	86.9%	84.8%
Unaffiliated	12.5%	13.3%
Other	0.592%	1.88%
Muslim	<0.1%	<0.1%
Buddhist	<0.1%	<0.1%
Jewish	<0.1%	<0.1%
Hindu	None	None

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic 58.5%, Protestant 23.2% (Evangelical 21.6%, Moravian 1.6%), Jehovah's Witnesses 0.9%, other 1.7%, none 15.7% (2005 census)₈₂.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?