Democracy in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Democracy was 1 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Democracy in Nicaragua, 1838–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for democracy in Nicaragua is 1, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 83.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy in Nicaragua peaked at 6 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1979.
Nicaragua ranks 159th of 197 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 1840s | 2.2 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 1850s | 1.6 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 1860s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1870s | 2.2 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 1880s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1890s | 1.6 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 1900s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1910s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1920s | 3 | 1 | 5 | 10 |
| 1930s | 3.8 | 1 | 5 | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.6 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 1950s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1960s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.5 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.8 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 1990s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2000s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.8 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.33 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
- 159 Belarus 1 compare
- 159 Cambodia 1 compare
- 159 Cuba 1 compare
- 159 Eswatini 1 compare
- 159 Guinea 1 compare
- 159 Laos 1 compare
- 159 North Korea 1 compare
- 159 Oman 1 compare
- 159 Russia 1 compare
- 159 Syria 1 compare
- 159 Tunisia 1 compare
- 159 Turkmenistan 1 compare
- 159 Venezuela 1 compare
- 159 Vietnam 1 compare
- 159 Western Sahara 1 compare
More reference data data for Nicaragua
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.334 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.09 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.2273 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.7081 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.5762 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 226.4 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy in Nicaragua?
- Democracy in Nicaragua was 1 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 1990.
- What is the lowest democracy recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1979.
- How does Nicaragua rank for democracy?
- Nicaragua ranks 159th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is democracy rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 83.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nicaragua data come from?
- The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 188 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Identifies the political regime of a country. It distinguishes between non-electoral autocracies (score 0), one-party autocracies (score 1), multi-party autocracies without elected executive (score 2), multi-party autocracies (score 3), exclusive democracies (score 4), male democracies (score 5), electoral democracies (score 6), and full democracies (score 7).