Nicaragua: Domestic credit provided by financial sector (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Nicaragua's domestic credit provided by financial sector (% of GDP) rose 1.09 percentage points on 2023 (from 28.05% to 29.13%).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2023), the average change was −2.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.74 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above 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 2.57 percentage points in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.59 percentage points in 2019. 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 the straight-line trend is downward, about 2.8 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 89% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

Closest to Nicaragua in the 2024 ranking

• Namibia — 4th of 7: 80.4%
• Cabo Verde — 5th of 7: 70%
• Uganda — 6th of 7: 33.98%

What this measures

Domestic credit provided by the financial sector includes all credit to various sectors on a gross basis, with the exception of credit to the central government, which is net. The financial sector includes monetary authorities and deposit money banks, as well as other financial corporations where data are available (including corporations that do not accept transferable deposits but do incur such liabilities as time and savings deposits). Examples of other financial corporations are finance and leasing companies, money lenders, insurance corporations, pension funds, and foreign exchange companies. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

Limitations: In a few countries governments may hold international reserves as deposits in the banking system rather than in the central bank. Since claims on the central government are a net item (claims on the central government minus central government deposits), the figure may be negative, resulting in a negative figure for domestic credit provided by the banking sector.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 24 values

Domestic credit provided by financial sector (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 42.02% (2025)
• Bahamas, The — 75.35% (2016)
• Bolivia — 77.47% (2019)
• Chile — 125.66% (2025)
• Colombia — 78.42% (2025)
• Costa Rica — 73.42% (2025)
• Dominican Republic — 59.67% (2025)
• Ecuador — 65.03% (2025)
• El Salvador — 113.33% (2025)

More financial sector data for Nicaragua

• GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 367.43 (2025)
• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$36.62 (2025)
• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$36.62 (2025)
• Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP) — 29.05% (2024)
• Net domestic credit (current LCU) — 188.32 billion (2024)
• Net foreign assets (current LCU) — 161.92 billion (2024)
• Monetary sector credit to private sector (% of GDP) — 29.05% (2024)
• Claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP) — -3.32% (2024)
• Inflation, GDP deflator (annual % growth) — 7.6% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Nicaragua's domestic credit provided by financial sector (% of GDP)?

29.13% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2001?

It is down 43.09 percentage points from 72.22% in 2001. The highest value was 72.34% in 2002 and the lowest 28.05% in 2023.

Is the latest change in domestic credit provided by financial sector (% of GDP) unusual for Nicaragua?

In 2024, Nicaragua's domestic credit provided by financial sector (% of GDP) rose 1.09 percentage points on 2023 (from 28.05% to 29.13%). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2023), the average change was −2.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.74 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above 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 FS.AST.DOMS.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Development Indicators Database, World Bank (WB); National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.