Nicaragua: Public and publicly guaranteed debt service (% of GNI)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Nicaragua's public and publicly guaranteed debt service (% of GNI) fell 0.04 percentage points on 2023 (from 3.44% to 3.41%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.19 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.32 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 45.25 percentage points in 1991 and the biggest yearly fall was 40.16 percentage points in 1992. 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 upward, about 0.28 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 96% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 4.33% for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.2%, against 0.53% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, Nicaragua had the 35th highest value of the 117 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

• Colombia — 32nd of 117: 3.59%
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines — 33rd of 117: 3.54%
• Mauritania — 34th of 117: 3.46%
• Paraguay — 36th of 117: 3.36%
• Pakistan — 37th of 117: 3.09%
• St. Lucia — 38th of 117: 3.06%

What this measures

Public and publicly guaranteed debt service to gross national income. Public and publicly guaranteed debt service is the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services on long-term obligations of public debtors and long-term private obligations guaranteed by a public entity. GNI (formerly GNP) is the sum of value added by all resident producers plus any product taxes (less subsidies) not included in the valuation of output plus net receipts of primary income (compensation of employees and property income) from abroad.

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

All 55 values

Public and publicly guaranteed debt service (% of GNI) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 2.28% (2024)
• Belize — 4.03% (2024)
• Bolivia — 2.86% (2024)
• Brazil — 1.97% (2024)
• Colombia — 3.59% (2024)
• Dominica — 7.78% (2024)
• Dominican Republic — 3.61% (2024)
• Ecuador — 3.74% (2024)
• El Salvador — 9.38% (2024)
• Grenada

More economic policy & debt data for Nicaragua

• General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$2.53 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 92.55 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$2.07 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 29.48 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 11.36% (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$13.16 billion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 195.05 billion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure per capita (constant 2015 US$)

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 public and publicly guaranteed debt service (% of GNI)?

3.41% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is down 0.25 percentage points from 3.66% in 1970. The highest value was 46.66% in 1991 and the lowest 0.91% in 2012.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator DT.TDS.DPPG.GN.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), uri: https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/debt-statistics 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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