Food exports in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Food exports was 42.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Food exports in Nicaragua, 1965–2024
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise exports.
Analysis
Nicaragua recorded 42.6% for food exports in 2024.
The figure is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 10.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food exports in Nicaragua peaked at 84.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 37.6%, in 1974.
Nicaragua ranks 47th of 196 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Food exports in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 39.8% | — |
| 1966 | 41.9% | +5.3% |
| 1967 | 44.6% | +6.4% |
| 1968 | 45.8% | +2.7% |
| 1969 | 51.5% | +12.4% |
| 1970 | 56.8% | +10.3% |
| 1971 | 55.4% | -2.4% |
| 1972 | 53.5% | -3.5% |
| 1973 | 53.5% | -0.0% |
| 1974 | 37.6% | -29.7% |
| 1975 | 51.4% | +36.8% |
| 1976 | 54.8% | +6.6% |
| 1977 | 56.0% | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 57.1% | +1.9% |
| 1979 | 61.1% | +7.0% |
| 1980 | 74.6% | +22.1% |
| 1981 | 61.5% | -17.6% |
| 1982 | 67.7% | +10.1% |
| 1983 | 65.2% | -3.7% |
| 1984 | 56.0% | -14.1% |
| 1985 | 56.6% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 74.4% | +31.4% |
| 1993 | 71.4% | -4.0% |
| 1994 | 80.5% | +12.8% |
| 1995 | 73.5% | -8.7% |
| 1996 | 59.5% | -19.1% |
| 1997 | 68.7% | +15.5% |
| 1998 | 82.9% | +20.7% |
| 1999 | 82.7% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 84.9% | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 77.3% | -9.0% |
| 2002 | 77.8% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 78.6% | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 79.9% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 80.5% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 79.3% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 80.5% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 48.4% | -40.0% |
| 2009 | 81.3% | +68.2% |
| 2010 | 77.6% | -4.6% |
| 2011 | 75.3% | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 48.8% | -35.2% |
| 2013 | 44.6% | -8.6% |
| 2014 | 47.5% | +6.5% |
| 2015 | 47.7% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 44.1% | -7.4% |
| 2017 | 48.9% | +10.7% |
| 2018 | 46.6% | -4.7% |
| 2019 | 45.6% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 48.6% | +6.5% |
| 2021 | 45.8% | -5.8% |
| 2022 | 44.8% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 43.8% | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 42.6% | -2.8% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 42.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.6%, 2.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 42.6% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 32.3%, 1.3× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Food exports in Nicaragua changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +68.2% | 48.4% | 81.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 44.7% | 39.8% | 51.5% | 5 |
| 1970s | 53.7% | 37.6% | 61.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 65.1% | 56.0% | 74.6% | 7 |
| 1990s | 74.2% | 59.5% | 82.9% | 7 |
| 2000s | 76.8% | 48.4% | 84.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 52.7% | 44.1% | 77.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 45.1% | 42.6% | 48.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More private sector data for Nicaragua
- Merchandise trade 95.9% (2025)
- Food imports 16.6% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 68.6% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 12.43 billion current US$ (2025)
- Manufactures exports 37.0% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 8.89 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 1,269 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3999 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 18.23 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 1,774 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food exports in Nicaragua?
- Food exports in Nicaragua was 42.6% in 2024, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food exports recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 84.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest food exports recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.6% in 1974.
- How does Nicaragua rank for food exports?
- Nicaragua ranks 47th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is food exports rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nicaragua data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Food exports (% of merchandise exports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise exports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.