Share of population living in urban areas in Nicaragua

Nicaragua: Share of population living in urban areas was 64.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
64.4%
World rank
165th
of 236 countries
All-time high
66.1%
in 2000
All-time low
47.0%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in Nicaragua, 1950–2020

02040601950198520201950: 47 %1955: 49.7 %1960: 52.7 %1965: 55.7 %1970: 58.7 %1975: 61.6 %1980: 62.1 %1985: 63.2 %1990: 63.9 %1995: 65.2 %2000: 66.1 %2005: 65.8 %2010: 65.7 %2015: 65.4 %2020: 64.4 %

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 areas in Nicaragua stood at 64.4%.

The figure is down 2.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 162 Serbia 64.8% compare
  2. 163 Denmark 64.8% compare
  3. 164 Norway 64.5% compare
  4. 166 Malawi 64.4% compare
  5. 167 Ethiopia 64.4% compare
  6. 168 Georgia 64.3% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Nicaragua

All data for Nicaragua →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Nicaragua?
Share of population living in urban 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 areas recorded in Nicaragua?
The highest recorded value was 66.1% in 2000.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Nicaragua?
The lowest recorded value was 47.0% in 1950.
How does Nicaragua rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Nicaragua ranks 165th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban 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 areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

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.