Freedom in Nicaragua
Where Nicaragua sits on every statistic this site carries, each against the countries the same source covers. Nicaragua has a figure for 54 of 60 indicators.
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | 0.018 | 2025 | 162 of 163 |
| Freedom of association | 0.042 | 2025 | 153 of 163 |
| Civil liberties | 0.077 | 2025 | 160 of 163 |
| Freedom from political violence | 0.059 | 2025 | 162 of 163 |
| Equal protection of rights | 0.231 | 2025 | 140 of 163 |
| Academic freedom | 0.019 | 2025 | 163 of 163 |
| Media censorship effort | -2.207 | 2025 | 151 of 163 |
| Harassment of journalists | -3.327 | 2025 | 163 of 163 |
| Media self-censorship | -2.780 | 2025 | 161 of 163 |
| Universal right to vote | 1.000 | 2025 | 92 of 167 |
| Legal rights for women | 86.3 | 2023 | 60 of 164 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | 1.000 | 2023 | 96 of 164 |
| Access to justice for women | 0.000 | 2025 | 118 of 163 |
| Access to justice for men | 0.000 | 2025 | 123 of 163 |
| Civil liberties score | 12.0 | 2025 | 140 of 167 |
| Political rights score | 2.0 | 2025 | 144 of 167 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | 96.5% | 2025 | 41 of 125 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | 20.1% | 2024 | 51 of 83 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | 16.3% | 2023 | 11 of 79 |
| Regulatory quality | 39.2 | 2024 | 142 of 169 |
| GDP per capita | $7,934 | 2025 | 110 of 157 |
| GDP growth | 4.9% | 2025 | — |
| Inflation | 2.1% | 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 5.0% | 2025 | 79 of 163 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | 61.4% | 2024 | 109 of 154 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | 5.8 | 2024 | 93 of 134 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 106.0 | 2024 | 96 of 134 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | 0.151 | 2025 | 145 of 163 |
| Liberal democracy | 0.019 | 2025 | 159 of 163 |
| Rule of law | 0.008 | 2025 | 163 of 163 |
| Judicial checks on government | 0.003 | 2025 | 162 of 163 |
| Legislative checks on government | 0.026 | 2025 | 157 of 157 |
| Political corruption | 0.942 | 2025 | 161 of 163 |
| Civil society participation | 0.114 | 2025 | 155 of 163 |
| Women’s political empowerment | 0.531 | 2025 | 138 of 163 |
| Voice and accountability | 26.8 | 2024 | 160 of 170 |
| Control of corruption | 18.9 | 2024 | 157 of 170 |
| Government effectiveness | 30.9 | 2024 | 145 of 169 |
| Political stability | 64.7 | 2024 | 78 of 170 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 0.706 | 2023 | 102 of 165 |
| Life expectancy | 75.1 | 2024 | 75 of 170 |
| Government spending on education | 2.9% | 2023 | — |
| Health spending | 8.3% | 2023 | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | 37.6% | 2023 | 109 of 164 |
| Maternal mortality | 60.0 | 2023 | 93 of 167 |
| Women in parliament | 54.9% | 2025 | 3 of 156 |
| Women in the workforce | 51.3% | 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 2.21 | 2024 | — |
| Urban population | 59.4% | 2025 | — |
| Refugees who left | 434.1 | 2024 | 138 of 168 |
| Population | 7M | 2025 | — |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | 0.83 | 2024 | 46 of 165 |
| Renewable energy use | 50.4% | 2021 | 47 of 169 |
| Access to electricity | 88.7% | 2024 | 120 of 169 |
What is missing
6 of the 60 statistics here have no figure for Nicaragua in the year they were last ranked. Coverage differs by source: an indicator missing here is one its producer does not publish for Nicaragua, not a zero. Who publishes what