Nicaragua (Republic of Nicaragua)

Nicaragua Republic of Nicaragua
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	124th 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
5. Nicaragua's Health
6. Nicaragua's Responsibility Towards The Environment
7. Nicaragua's Modernity and Learning
8. National Culture
9. Peace Versus Instability
10. Economic Inequality and Poverty
11. Religion and Beliefs
12. Links

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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	27.4
2	Norway	27.6
3	Sweden	30.4
	...
121	Guyana	100.1
122	Botswana	100.1
123	Bangladesh	100.5
124	Nicaragua	100.9
125	Iran	101.3
126	Algeria	101.7
127	Egypt	101.8
128	Saudi Arabia	103.2
	The Americas Avg	81.5
	World Avg	89.7
q=198.

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:

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. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₃

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.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
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.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better15
Pos.		2016 Per 10015
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
87	Myanmar (Burma)	12.5
88=	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:

Immigrants16
Pos.		2017 %16
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.

Emigrants17
Pos.		2010 %17
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

#antisemitism #equality #freedom #freethought #gender #gender_equality #homosexuality #human_rights #international_law #mass_media #misogyny #morals #nicaragua #politics #prejudice #religious_tolerance #slavery #tolerance #women

Compared to The Americas (2025)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Canada	19.5
2	Uruguay	24.5
3	Costa Rica	33.7
	...
19	Honduras	75.4
20	Barbados	75.7
21	Trinidad & Tobago	78.9
22	Nicaragua	82.7
23	Suriname	83.1
24	Dominican Rep.	83.5
25	Venezuela	84.0
26	Belize	87.4
27	Dominica	87.8
	The Americas Avg	71.8
q=35.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Sweden	8.5
2	Denmark	13.5
3	Norway	13.5
	...
77	Moldova	81.8
78	Macedonia	82.4
79	Israel	82.6
80	Nicaragua	82.7
81	Suriname	83.1
82	Dominican Rep.	83.5
83	San Marino	83.7
84	Burkina Faso	83.8
	World Avg	87.8
q=200.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Denmark and Norway₁₉. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are Somalia, The Vatican City and Sudan₁₉.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, 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 Europe₁₉, whereas the worst are Melanesia, The Middle East and Micronesia₁₉.

For more, see:

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

Human Rights & Tolerance:

Press Freedom Lower is better20
Pos.		201320
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
	...
74	Malawi	2818
75	Congo, (Brazzaville)	2820
76	Kuwait	2828
77	Nicaragua	2831
78	Benin	2833
79	Dominican Rep.	2834
80	Lesotho	2836
81	Bhutan	2842
	The Americas Avg	2853
	World Avg	3249
q=178.

Slavery Lower is better21
Pos.		2018 % Victims21
1	Japan	0.03
2=	Canada	0.05
2=	Taiwan	0.05
	...
59	Slovakia	0.29
60=	Czechia	0.29
60=	Guatemala	0.29
60=	Nicaragua	0.29
60=	Senegal	0.29
64	Trinidad & Tobago	0.30
65	Yemen	0.31
66=	Namibia	0.33
	The Americas Avg	0.25
	World Avg	0.65
q=167.

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom Lower is better22
Pos.		2014 Rank22
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
73	Turkey	73
74=	S. Africa	74
74=	Papua New Guinea	74
76	Nicaragua	76
77=	Paraguay	77
77=	Mexico	77
79	Trinidad & Tobago	79
80=	Bhutan	79
	The Americas Avg	72.4
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

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
179=	Congo, DR	6.5
179=	Libya	6.5
179=	Nicaragua	6.5
179=	Russia	6.5
179=	Cuba	6.5
179=	Saudi Arabia	6.5
179=	Laos	6.5
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.7
q=205.

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better23
Pos.		2009 Treaties23
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
	...
57	Rwanda	19
58=	Finland	19
58=	Netherlands	19
58=	Nicaragua	19
58=	Canada	19
58=	Kazakhstan	19
58=	Luxembourg	19
58=	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.

Gender Equality:

The 1950s saw a late rush of 43 countries, including Nicaragua and many developing nations, move to cease preventing women from voting. Nicaragua is an unequal country, with male rights dominating those of women.

See:

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

Gender Inequality Lower is better26
Pos.		201526
1	Switzerland	0.04
2	Denmark	0.04
3	Netherlands	0.04
	...
100	Panama	0.46
101	Honduras	0.46
102	Venezuela	0.46
103	Nicaragua	0.46
104	Paraguay	0.46
105	Indonesia	0.47
106	Laos	0.47
107	Dominican Rep.	0.47
	The Americas Avg	0.39
	World Avg	0.36
q=159.

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.		Total Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
99=	Colombia	1954
99=	Belize	1954
99=	Ghana	1954
102	Nicaragua	1955
103=	Ethiopia	1955
103=	Peru	1955
103=	Eritrea	1955
103=	Honduras	1955
	The Americas Avg	1947
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Prejudice:

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 Higher is better31
Pos.		2017 Score31
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
51=	Japan	35
51=	Bosnia & Herzegovina	35
51=	Georgia	35
51=	Nicaragua	35
51=	El Salvador	35
51=	Kosovo	35
57	Thailand	34
58	Bulgaria	33
	The Americas Avg	26.1
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

Freedom of Thought Lower is better32
Pos.		202132
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
	...
142	Suriname	3.5
143=	Kazakhstan	3.5
143=	Papua New Guinea	3.5
143=	Nicaragua	3.5
146	Angola	3.7
147=	Andorra	3.7
147=	Uzbekistan	3.7
149	Myanmar (Burma)	3.8
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

5. Nicaragua's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #nicaragua #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #suicide #vaccines

Compared to The Americas (2020)33
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank33
1	St Martin	67.5
2	Antigua & Barbuda	74.9
3	Grenada	77.3
4	Ecuador	78.6
5	Nicaragua	79.1
6	Brazil	83.5
7=	Guyana	84.3
8	El Salvador	84.6
9=	Peru	87.0
10	Barbados	87.8
11=	Trinidad & Tobago	89.6
12	USA	89.9
13	St Kitts & Nevis	90.8
	The Americas Avg	92.7
q=36.

Health (2020)33
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank33
1	Monaco	13.0
2	Maldives	41.7
3	Sri Lanka	43.1
	...
37	Uzbekistan	78.4
38	Ecuador	78.6
39	Sweden	78.8
40	Nicaragua	79.1
41	France	79.5
42	Eritrea	80.7
43	Vietnam	80.8
44	Armenia	81.5
	World Avg	95.1
q=198.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, The Maldives and Sri Lanka₃₄. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, The Marshall Islands and Nigeria₃₄.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are 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, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Asia and The Mediterranean₃₄, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Africa and Australasia₃₄.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

Health:

Nicaragua does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Nicaragua does better than average in terms of its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₅ (one of the lowest in The Americas), its suicide rate₃₆, its fertility rate₁₄, its immunizations take-up₃₇, its average life expectancy₁₁, its smoking rate₃₈ (but bad for The Americas) and in its alcohol consumption rate₃₉. But, things could still be better. Nicaragua does worse than average in its adolescent birth rate₂₆ (amongst the highest in The Americas). The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the past 40 years. 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.

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 best14
Pos.		202214
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.

Smoking Rates Lower is better38
Pos.		201438
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
76	Syria	459
77	Djibouti	476
78	Ivory Coast	477
79	Nicaragua	488
80	Angola	489
81	Honduras	489
82	Brazil	492
83	Senegal	504
	The Americas Avg	457
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate36
Pos.		2013 Per 100k36
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
31	Brazil	9.7
32	Colombia	9.9
33	Panama	10.9
34	Nicaragua	11.6
35	Costa Rica	12.1
36	Italy	12.8
37	Macedonia	13.5
38	Mauritius	13.7
	The Americas Avg	13.57
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
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 better40
Pos.		2016 %40
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
119=	Latvia	57.8
120	Finland	57.9
121	Macedonia	58.1
122	Nicaragua	58.2
123=	Norway	58.3
123=	Poland	58.3
125	Ukraine	58.4
126=	Cuba	58.5
	The Americas Avg	57.4
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better26
Pos.		2015 Per 100026
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
152	Iraq	84.0
153	Sao Tome & Principe	84.3
154	Guyana	88.0
155	Nicaragua	88.8
156	Guinea-Bissau	89.5
157	Zambia	90.4
158	Kenya	90.9
159	Central African Rep.	91.9
	The Americas Avg	56.6
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

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.

6. Nicaragua's Responsibility Towards The Environment

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

Compared to The Americas (2023)41
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank41
1	Uruguay	48.0
2	Peru	48.2
3	Costa Rica	49.6
	...
12	Brazil	66.8
13	El Salvador	71.8
14	Trinidad & Tobago	73.5
15	Nicaragua	75.5
16=	Guatemala	76.2
17	Chile	78.6
18	Antigua & Barbuda	78.7
19	Argentina	80.8
20=	Dominican Rep.	81.0
	The Americas Avg	80.1
q=35.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2023)41
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank41
1	Japan	33.2
2	Philippines	45.0
3	Uruguay	48.0
	...
63	Mali	74.3
64	Malaysia	74.4
65	Vanuatu	75.0
66	Nicaragua	75.5
67=	Guatemala	76.2
67=	Ghana	76.2
69	Yemen	76.7
70	Czechia	77.2
	World Avg	85.7
q=188.

Nicaragua is 66th in the world in terms of its responsibility towards the environment. This rank is calculated from 5 data sets. Nicaragua comes in the best 20 when it comes to the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₄₂. It does better than average in reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₃ (amongst the lowest in The Americas). Nicaragua does worse than average for its environmental performance₄₄ and in how quickly it ratified the 1993 Convention on Biological Diversity. And finally, it is second-from-the-bottom in its forested percent change 2000-2020₄₅.

Environmental Performance Higher is better44
Pos.		201844
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.

Convention on Biological Diversity Earlier is better
Pos.		Total Signed
1=	China	1993 Dec 29
1=	Guinea	1993 Dec 29
1=	Cook Islands	1993 Dec 29
	...
132	Guinea-Bissau	1996 Jan 25
133	Sudan	1996 Jan 28
134	S. Africa	1996 Jan 31
135	Nicaragua	1996 Feb 18
136	Latvia	1996 Mar 13
137	Singapore	1996 Mar 20
138	Syria	1996 Apr 03
139	Suriname	1996 Apr 11
	The Americas Avg	1899 Dec 30
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better42
Pos.		2011 %42
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 better43
Pos.		2021 kg43
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.

7. Nicaragua's Modernity and Learning

#education #intelligence #modernity #religion #religiosity #secularisation #technology #the_internet

Compared to The Americas (2020)46
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank46
1	Canada	21.9
2	USA	28.2
3	Argentina	43.6
	...
33	St Lucia	97.8
34	Paraguay	101.5
35=	Guatemala	110.8
35=	El Salvador	110.8
37	Suriname	114.4
38	Nicaragua	117.7
39	Guyana	122.6
40	Honduras	128.0
41	Haiti	153.8
	The Americas Avg	81.3
q=41.

Modernity & Learning (2020)46
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank46
1	Finland	7.7
2	Taiwan	10.0
3	Switzerland	14.7
	...
156	Namibia	116.6
157	Vanuatu	117.0
158	Ivory Coast	117.4
159	Nicaragua	117.7
160	Swaziland	118.0
161	Gabon	118.3
162	Burkina Faso	119.4
163	Sudan	119.8
	World Avg	82.7
q=205.

Modernity and Education:

Secondary Education Higher is better47
Pos.		201847
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 better48
Pos.		2021 Years48
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.

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
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.

Religiosity Lower is better49
Pos.		2018 %49
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
84=	Mozambique	87
85	Congo, DR	88
86=	Nigeria	88
86=	Nicaragua	88
88	Djibouti	89
89=	Ghana	89
89=	Guatemala	89
91	Honduras	90
	The Americas Avg	65.4
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

IQ Higher is better50
Pos.		200650
1=	Hong Kong	108
1=	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
96=	Madagascar	82
97	Egypt	81
98=	Honduras	81
98=	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.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users Higher is better51
Pos.		201651
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
151	Indonesia	20%
152	Marshall Islands	20%
153	Algeria	20%
154	Nicaragua	19%
155=	Uganda	19%
155=	Zambia	19%
157	Tajikistan	19%
158	Cameroon	18%
	The Americas Avg	56.4%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better52
Pos.		2017 Ratio52
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. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

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

World Giving Index Higher is better53
Pos.		2022 %53
1	Indonesia	68.0
2	Kenya	61.0
3	USA	59.0
	...
57=	Germany	41.0
58	Nepal	40.0
59=	Malaysia	40.0
59=	Nicaragua	40.0
59=	Senegal	40.0
59=	Estonia	40.0
59=	Uruguay	40.0
59=	Turkey	40.0
	The Americas Avg	43.7
	World Avg	39.6
q=125.

Corruption Higher is better54
Pos.		2022 Points54
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
164	Congo, (Brazzaville)	21.0
165=	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.

Happiness Higher is better55
Pos.		2018 Score55
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
	...
38	Trinidad & Tobago	6.2
39	Slovakia	6.2
40	El Salvador	6.2
41	Nicaragua	6.1
42	Poland	6.1
43	Bahrain	6.1
44	Uzbekistan	6.1
45	Kuwait	6.1
	The Americas Avg	6.05
	World Avg	5.38
q=156.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
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.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
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.

9. Peace Versus Instability

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

Global Peace Index Lower is better56
Pos.		2023 Score56
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.

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
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 better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
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 better57
Pos.		2019 Score57
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.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

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

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better58
Pos.		201958
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
105=	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 better59
Pos.		2023 %59
1	Slovakia	24.1%60
2	Slovenia	24.3%60
3	Belarus	24.4%61
	...
148	Lesotho	44.9%62
149	Paraguay	45.1%63
150	Comoros	45.3%64
151	Nicaragua	46.2%64
152	Costa Rica	46.7%65
153	Honduras	48.2%66
154	Guatemala	48.3%64
155=	Panama	48.9%65
	The Americas Avg	44.0%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167.

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

Multidimensional Poverty Lower is better67
Pos.		2018 Severity67
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.

11. Religion and Beliefs

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

Religiosity (2018)49
Pos.		Lower is better %49
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
84=	Mozambique	87
85	Congo, DR	88
86=	Nigeria	88
86=	Nicaragua	88
88	Djibouti	89
89=	Ghana	89
89=	Guatemala	89
91	Honduras	90
92=	Cameroon	90
92=	Rwanda	90
92=	Liberia	90
95	Morocco	91
96=	Guinea-Bissau	91
96=	Philippines	91
96=	Zambia	91
99	Afghanistan	92
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Disbelief In God (2007)68
Pos.		Higher is better %68
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
71=	Turkmenistan	2
71=	Indonesia	2
73	Paraguay	1
74=	Nicaragua	1
74=	Bolivia	1
74=	Colombia	1
74=	Costa Rica	1
74=	Honduras	1
74=	Brazil	1
74=	Ecuador	1
74=	S. Africa	1
74=	Venezuela	1
74=	Peru	1
74=	Guatemala	1
74=	El Salvador	1
74=	Panama	1
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₆₉:

Christian	85.8%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	1.4%
Jewish	0.1%
Unaffiliated	12.5%

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)₇₀.

Links:

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