Armed forces personnel in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Armed forces personnel was 12,000 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Armed forces personnel in Nicaragua, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Nicaragua recorded 12,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Nicaragua peaked at 65,000 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 12,000, in 1995.
That places Nicaragua 124th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Armed forces personnel in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 62,900 | — |
| 1989 | 65,000 | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 28,000 | -56.9% |
| 1991 | 20,000 | -28.6% |
| 1992 | 15,000 | -25.0% |
| 1993 | 15,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 14,000 | -6.7% |
| 1995 | 12,000 | -14.3% |
| 1996 | 17,000 | +41.7% |
| 1997 | 17,000 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 17,000 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 16,000 | -5.9% |
| 2000 | 16,000 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 16,000 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 14,000 | -12.5% |
| 2003 | 14,000 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 14,000 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 14,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 14,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 14,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 12,000 | -14.3% |
| 2009 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 12,000 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23,000, 52% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 12,000 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 28,500, 42% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 63,950 | 62,900 | 65,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 17,100 | 12,000 | 28,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 14,000 | 12,000 | 16,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 12,000 | 12,000 | 12,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 12,000 | 12,000 | 12,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More reference data data for Nicaragua
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4575 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0819 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.4557 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4457 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Nicaragua?
- Armed forces personnel in Nicaragua was 12,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 65,000 in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 12,000 in 1995.
- How does Nicaragua rank for armed forces personnel?
- Nicaragua ranks 124th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nicaragua data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.