Nicaragua: Commercial service exports (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Nicaragua's commercial service exports (current US$) fell 17.9% on 2023 (from US$1.45 billion to US$1.19 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +11.7% and a typical year strayed about 16.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 108.5% in 1990 and the biggest yearly fall was 55.9% in 1989. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Nicaragua had the 12th highest value of the 29 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Nicaragua in the 2024 ranking

• Fiji — 8th of 29: US$2.04 billion
• Cameroon — 9th of 29: US$1.74 billion
• Namibia — 10th of 29: US$1.25 billion
• Côte d'Ivoire — 12th of 29: US$1.14 billion
• Rwanda — 13th of 29: US$857.32 million
• Djibouti — 14th of 29: US$842.19 million

What this measures

Commercial service exports are total service exports minus exports of government services not included elsewhere. Exports of services are services provided by residents to non-residents. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

Limitations: Balance of payments statistics, the main source of information on international trade in services, have many weaknesses. Disaggregation of important components may be limited and varies considerably across countries. There are inconsistencies in the methods used to report items. And the recording of major flows as net items is common (for example, insurance transactions are often recorded as premiums less claims). These factors contribute to a downward bias in the value of the service trade reported in the balance of payments. Efforts are being made to improve the coverage, quality, and consistency of these data.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.

All 48 values

Commercial service exports (current US$) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — US$1.21 billion (2025)
• Argentina — US$18.1 billion (2025)
• Aruba — US$2.96 billion (2023)
• Bahamas, The — US$5.84 billion (2024)
• Barbados — US$1.5 billion (2017)
• Belize — US$1.16 billion (2025)
• Bolivia — US$1.27 billion (2025)
• Brazil — US$53.54 billion (2025)
• Chile — US$12.55 billion (2025)
• Colombia — US$19.74 billion (2025)

More private sector & trade data for Nicaragua

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 95.9% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$12.43 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$8.89 billion (2025)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 37.25% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Latin America & the Caribbean (% of total merchandise imports) — 50.79% (2023)
• Merchandise imports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise imports) — 0% (2023)
• Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) — US$8.06 billion (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within region (% of total merchandise imports)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Nicaragua's commercial service exports (current US$)?

US$1.19 billion in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1977?

It is up 1,525% from US$73.3 million in 1977 (6.11% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$1.47 billion in 2017 and the lowest US$16.5 million in 1989.

How does Nicaragua rank?

12th highest of 29 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in commercial service exports (current US$) unusual for Nicaragua?

In 2024, Nicaragua's commercial service exports (current US$) fell 17.9% on 2023 (from US$1.45 billion to US$1.19 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +11.7% and a typical year strayed about 16.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator TX.VAL.SERV.CD.WT, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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