Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 64.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nicaragua, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nicaragua stood at 64.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nicaragua peaked at 66.1% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 47.0%, in 1950.
Nicaragua ranks 165th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 47.0% | — |
| 1955 | 49.7% | +5.9% |
| 1960 | 52.7% | +5.9% |
| 1965 | 55.7% | +5.7% |
| 1970 | 58.7% | +5.5% |
| 1975 | 61.6% | +4.9% |
| 1980 | 62.1% | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 63.2% | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 63.9% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 65.2% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 66.1% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 65.8% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 65.7% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 65.4% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 64.4% | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 48.4% | 47.0% | 49.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 54.2% | 52.7% | 55.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 60.2% | 58.7% | 61.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 62.7% | 62.1% | 63.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 64.6% | 63.9% | 65.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 66.0% | 65.8% | 66.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 65.5% | 65.4% | 65.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 64.4% | 64.4% | 64.4% | 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 share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nicaragua?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nicaragua was 64.4% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 66.1% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.0% in 1950.
- How does Nicaragua rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Nicaragua ranks 165th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nicaragua data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.