Country export capability

Nicaragua
export capability

A reported view of Nicaragua's export scale, destination network, sector breadth, trade history, and market-access context. Use the indicators together; no single measure describes export readiness on its own.

NIC1995-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsMacro trend resilient
Latest exports$8.5B2024 reported value
Latest imports$10.4B2024 reported value
Trade balance-$1.9BExports minus imports
Export growth+5.2%Latest year-on-year change
Active partners270Latest reported markets

Country export profile overview

Nicaragua export data in one research view

This profile brings together export performance, trade balance, destination markets, HS2 sectors, partner breadth, history, and market-access context for country export research.

Export scale and balance

Start with the latest reported trade position

In 2024, Nicaragua recorded $8.5B in exports and $10.4B in imports. The resulting -$1.9B trade balance gives the latest country-level position a clear context.

Exports changed +5.2% year on year and show a calculated +6% three-year CAGR. CAGR is an annualized comparison of reported values, not a forecast.

Markets and sectors

See where export value is concentrated

USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands received $4.2B in reported exports, representing 49.4% of the latest country total. Knitted clothing was the largest displayed HS2 export sector at $1.8B and 21.4% of exports.

The visible page highlights five leading destinations and five leading HS2 sectors, while the complete structured files retain every row supplied for this sample.

History and coverage

Read today's number against the long series

The country series covers 1995 through 2024, with 30 observed annual rows. That longer view helps separate a single-year movement from the broader export trend.

Partner counts, tariff context, concentration, exposure shares, and momentum are supporting indicators calculated from available trade observations. Missing values remain unavailable rather than estimated.

Economy and structure

The context around Nicaragua's export base

Macroeconomic and structural indicators add context to merchandise trade scale. They describe the country environment; they do not predict company performance or future exports.

GDP$19.7B2024 macro context
GDP per capita$2.8KCurrent-dollar GDP
Population6.9MReported population
Labor force3.3KReported labor force
Investment rate29.4%National investment rate
Savings rate13.6%National savings rate
Trade openness105.8%Exports + imports / GDP
Exports / GDP47.7%Merchandise exports / GDP
Secondary education58.4%Education context
Tertiary education15.1%Education context

Market signals

Where to look more closely next

Route-level risk and emerging-corridor signals for further research. These are calculated indicators, not forecasts.

Destination risk contextAll covered routes
Destination risk context for Nicaragua
DestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
HondurasHNDHigh attention96.6%25.4%8.5%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
El SalvadorSLVHigh attention87.8%6.4%8.6%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
MexicoMEXHigh attention82.3%11.4%9.9%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSAWatch24.7%19.7%0.9%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
SenegalSENHigh attention96.7%0.3%13.1%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
Costa RicaCRIHigh attention87.8%20.6%8.8%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
GuatemalaGTMHigh attention77.5%26.2%8.8%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
ChinaCHNHigh attention93.2%9.7%30.2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
PanamaPANHigh attention94.3%10%12.2%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
NetherlandsNLDHigh attention70.9%15.4%1.4%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure

Full route coverage is retained. High attention means the route deserves closer product and access review.

Market opportunity signals

Product-market combinations worth investigating

All returned rows use buyer demand, exporter position, and calculated addressable-value fields. They are research signals, not forecasts.

Addressable-value signalsAll returned rows
Market opportunity signals for Nicaragua
RankMarket and productBuyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareDemand signal
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$165.0B$115.5B0%Declining +1.1%
2ChinaHS6 854231 · Electronic integrated circuits: processors and controllers, whether or not combined with memories, converters, logic circuits, amplifiers, clock and timing circuits, or other circuits$158.0B$93.1B0%Declining +10.5%
3IndiaHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$130.1B$72.9B0%Declining -0.5%
4ChinaHS6 854232 · Electronic integrated circuits: memories$80.6B$65.7B0%Declining +20.6%
5ChinaHS6 854239 · Electronic integrated circuits: n.e.c. in heading no. 8542$81.8B$61.4B0%Declining +4%
6USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 851712 · Telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks$53.9B$53.8B0%Growing -8.8%
7USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 847150 · Digital processing units: other than those of subheadings 8471.41 or 8471.49, whether or not containing in the same housing one or two of the following types of unit: storage units, input units or output units$53.9B$45.6B0%Stable +60.2%
8ChinaHS6 260300 · Copper ores and concentrates$62.6B$35.3B0%Accelerating +11%

Addressable value is a calculated field. Validate product, buyer, tariff, and route conditions before commercial decisions.

Detailed export portfolioHS4 lines beneath the leading sectorsOpen the detailed four-digit export table for Nicaragua.
All HS4 export lines2024 ranking
Top HS4 export lines for Nicaragua
RankHS4Parent HS2 sectorExportsShareActive HS6
17108HS4 detail codePrecious stones and metals (71) ↗$1.4B15.9%2
26109HS4 detail codeKnitted clothing (61) ↗$1.0B12.3%2
38544HS4 detail codeElectrical machinery (85) ↗$996.1M11.7%8
40901HS4 detail codeCoffee, tea and spices (09) ↗$531.7M6.3%5
52402HS4 detail codeTobacco (24) ↗$456.9M5.4%3
60201HS4 detail codeMeat and edible meat offal (02) ↗$440.9M5.2%3
76110HS4 detail codeKnitted clothing (61) ↗$429.6M5.1%6
82709HS4 detail codeMineral fuels (27) ↗$351.2M4.1%1
90202HS4 detail codeMeat and edible meat offal (02) ↗$313.6M3.7%3
101701HS4 detail codeSugars and sugar confectionery (17) ↗$227.9M2.7%4
110406HS4 detail codeDairy produce and eggs (04) ↗$211.4M2.5%5
120306HS4 detail codeFish and crustaceans (03) ↗$154.3M1.8%16

HS4 values are reported observations. The hierarchy is preserved; no missing descriptions are inferred.

The country export read

Nicaragua combines $8.5B in exports with a broad partner network.

In 2024, Nicaragua recorded $8.5B in reported exports and $10.4B in imports, producing a reported trade deficit of $1.9B. Exports changed +5.2% year on year and +6% annualized over three years. Knitted clothing (HS2 61) was the largest displayed export sector by value.

Destination network

Where Nicaragua exports move

All returned destination lanes ranked by latest reported export value. Share is calculated against the country total. Review sources ↗

Latest reported destination lanesAll returned · 2024
Leading export destinations for Nicaragua
RankDestinationLatest exportsShareYear-on-year3-year CAGR
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$4.2B49.4%-2.4%+0.2%
2MexicoMEX$861.0M10.1%-6.7%+6.6%
3CanadaCAN$602.5M7.1%+21.8%+84%
4El SalvadorSLV$465.5M5.5%-0.6%+7.4%
5HondurasHND$392.2M4.6%+11.6%+6.9%
6SenegalSEN$369.0M4.3%+24,653.5%+1,192.8%
7Costa RicaCRI$216.6M2.5%-7.5%+5.9%
8Switzerland, LiechtensteinCHE$167.3M2%+6.6%+10.3%
9GuatemalaGTM$162.1M1.9%-0.6%-1.9%
10BelgiumBEL$110.2M1.3%+35.8%+18.3%

Destination values are reported country-to-country observations. Full returned rows remain in the downloads.

Trade history

A long view of export scale

Latest twelve years from the 30-year reported country series. Context, not a forecast.

Reported exports by year

2013
$5.1B
2014
$5.2B
2015
$5.0B
2016
$5.1B
2017
$5.2B
2018
$5.4B
2019
$5.8B
2020
$5.5B
2021
$7.1B
2022
$8.6B
2023
$8.1B
2024
$8.5B

Partner network

Scale is only one part of export capability

Partner breadth, distance, agreements, and tariffs add context to reported exports.

FTA partner markets39Reported count
WTO partner markets169Reported count
EU partner markets28Reported count
Shared-border partners2Country context
Shared-language partners24Country context
Average partner distance10,039 kmCalculated average
Partners with FTA14.4%Calculated share
Applied tariff context0.1%Calculated average
MFN tariff context0.1%Calculated average
Tariff advantage+0.1 ppPreferential vs MFN

Exposure context

Signals to examine alongside export scale

Calculated or classified route and country context. Not predictions or recommendations.

Attention share41.4%

Covered value under attention

Critical share0.6%

Covered value marked critical

Below historical peak16.2%

Distance below route peaks

FTA-covered exports82.3%

Covered value with FTA context

Weighted tariff context0%

Export-weighted tariff

Macro contextMacro trend resilient

Primary attention driver: High trade volatility.

Momentum score5.5

History-based indicator

Partner concentration2,689.5

Partner HHI

Product concentration633.5

Product HHI

Country attention level: Watch. Missing fields remain unavailable.

Complete country valuesOpen the full profile evidenceFull history, sectors, HS4, destinations, risk, opportunities, and source fields.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3NIC
Exports Usd$8.5B
Imports Usd$10.4B
Trade Balance Usd-$1.9B
Yoy Exports Growth Pct5.2%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct9.8%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct6%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct4.9%
Export Partner Hhi2,689.5
Export Product Hhi633.5
Momentum Score5.5
Risk Score16.6
Gdp Million Usd19,693.98 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$2.8K
Population6,916,140
Labor Force3,330.9
Investment Rate Pct29.4%
Savings Rate Pct13.6%
Secondary Education Pct58.4%
Tertiary Education Pct15.1%
Total Factor Productivity310.6
Trade Openness Pct105.8%
Exports Gdp Pct47.7%
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners39
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners2
Num Shared Language Partners24
Avg Partner Distance Km10,039 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.33 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta14
Pct Partners Shared Language9
Pct Partners Shared Border1
Avg Applied Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Mfn Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Preferential Tariff Pct0%
Tariff Advantage Pp+0.1 pp
Avg Distance All Partners Km9,831
Num Border Partners50
Num Colonial Partners25
Avg Substitution Elasticity-8
Pct Products High Elasticity65
Pct Products Low Elasticity5
Real Market Potential47,575.7
Foreign Market Potential14,459.1

Exposure fields

Country Iso3NIC
All History Lane Count2,241
Current Lane Count885
Critical Lane Count3
High Attention Lane Count180
High Volatility Lane Count499
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count337
Declining Demand Lane Count5
Concentrated Market Lane Count422
Access Friction Lane Count126
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count30
Monitored Exports Current Usd$8.1B
Attention Exports Usd$3.4B
Critical Exports Usd$50.0M
High Volatility Exports Usd$4.5B
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$679.5M
Non Fta Exports Usd$1.4B
Monitored Attention Share Pct41.4%
Monitored Critical Share Pct0.6%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct82.3%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv1
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct16.2%
Export Weighted Distance Km3,766 km
Export Weighted Tariff Pct0%
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year1,995
Country Years Count30
Total Exports Latest Usd$8.5B
Total Imports Latest Usd$10.4B
Trade Balance Latest Usd-$1.9B
Exports Yoy Latest Pct5.2%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct6%
Gdp Latest Million Usd19,693.98 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$2.8K
Population Latest6,916,140
Investment Rate Latest Pct29.4%
Savings Rate Latest Pct13.6%
Trade Openness Latest Pct105.8%
Exports Gdp Latest Pct47.7%
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest39
Foreign Market Potential Latest14,459.1
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct9.2%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct7.8%
Population 5y Cagr Pct1.3%
Partner Hhi Latest2,689.5
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct49.4%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct66.7%
Partner Hhi All Avg3,546.8
Partner Hhi All Max5,294
Product Hhi Latest633.5
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct15.9%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct37.1%
Product Hhi All Avg484.6
Product Hhi All Max681
Total Exports Attention Share Pct39.5%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct0.6%
Attention LevelWatch
Primary Risk DriverHigh trade volatility
Macro Resilience LabelMacro trend resilient

Annual country history

YearExportsImportsTrade balanceExports YoYExports CAGR 3Y
1995$505.5M$913.1M-$407.6MNot reportedNot reported
1996$642.9M$1.0B-$402.9M+27.2%Not reported
1997$756.5M$1.2B-$483.6M+17.7%Not reported
1998$786.2M$1.7B-$884.9M+3.9%+15.9%
1999$804.7M$1.6B-$792.5M+2.4%+7.8%
2000$960.6M$1.7B-$787.1M+19.4%+8.3%
2001$967.9M$1.7B-$763.6M+0.8%+7.2%
2002$1.0B$1.8B-$730.9M+6.8%+8.7%
2003$1.2B$1.9B-$739.6M+12.3%+6.5%
2004$1.5B$2.3B-$848.1M+26.6%+14.9%
2005$1.9B$2.7B-$892.1M+26.3%+21.5%
2006$2.0B$3.1B-$1.0B+8.2%+20%
2007$2.2B$3.9B-$1.7B+9.1%+14.2%
2008$2.7B$4.5B-$1.8B+23.1%+13.3%
2009$2.3B$3.6B-$1.3B-13.3%+5.2%
2010$3.2B$4.6B-$1.4B+37.6%+13.7%
2011$4.5B$5.6B-$1.1B+38.5%+18.3%
2012$4.9B$6.8B-$2.0B+9.2%+27.7%
2013$5.1B$6.1B-$1.0B+4.2%+16.4%
2014$5.2B$6.3B-$1.1B+3%+5.4%
2015$5.0B$6.3B-$1.3B-4%+1%
2016$5.1B$6.9B-$1.8B+1%-0.1%
2017$5.2B$7.1B-$2.0B+1.8%-0.4%
2018$5.4B$6.6B-$1.1B+5.7%+2.8%
2019$5.8B$6.3B-$514.4M+5.7%+4.4%
2020$5.5B$6.0B-$513.8M-5.2%+1.9%
2021$7.1B$9.0B-$1.9B+30.8%+9.4%
2022$8.6B$9.8B-$1.2B+20.2%+14.2%
2023$8.1B$9.4B-$1.4B-5.7%+14%
2024$8.5B$10.4B-$1.9B+5.2%+6%

Top export sectors

RankHS2SectorExportsShareExport partnersActive HS6
161Knitted clothing$1.8B21.4%109106
271Precious stones and metals$1.4B16.2%2126
385Electrical machinery$1.0B11.8%92255
402Meat and edible meat offal$789.3M9.3%1935
509Coffee, tea and spices$533.5M6.3%8535
624Tobacco$490.8M5.8%1139
727Mineral fuels$394.4M4.6%2330
862Non-knitted clothing$308.1M3.6%97112
917Sugars and sugar confectionery$268.7M3.2%4215
1003Fish and crustaceans$243.5M2.9%48125

Detailed HS4 export lines

RankHS4Parent HS2ExportsShareActive HS6
17108Precious stones and metals (71)$1.4B15.9%2
26109Knitted clothing (61)$1.0B12.3%2
38544Electrical machinery (85)$996.1M11.7%8
40901Coffee, tea and spices (09)$531.7M6.3%5
52402Tobacco (24)$456.9M5.4%3
60201Meat and edible meat offal (02)$440.9M5.2%3
76110Knitted clothing (61)$429.6M5.1%6
82709Mineral fuels (27)$351.2M4.1%1
90202Meat and edible meat offal (02)$313.6M3.7%3
101701Sugars and sugar confectionery (17)$227.9M2.7%4
110406Dairy produce and eggs (04)$211.4M2.5%5
120306Fish and crustaceans (03)$154.3M1.8%16

Top export destinations

RankDestinationISO3ExportsShareYoYCAGR 3Y
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$4.2B49.4%-2.4%+0.2%
2MexicoMEX$861.0M10.1%-6.7%+6.6%
3CanadaCAN$602.5M7.1%+21.8%+84%
4El SalvadorSLV$465.5M5.5%-0.6%+7.4%
5HondurasHND$392.2M4.6%+11.6%+6.9%
6SenegalSEN$369.0M4.3%+24,653.5%+1,192.8%
7Costa RicaCRI$216.6M2.5%-7.5%+5.9%
8Switzerland, LiechtensteinCHE$167.3M2%+6.6%+10.3%
9GuatemalaGTM$162.1M1.9%-0.6%-1.9%
10BelgiumBEL$110.2M1.3%+35.8%+18.3%

Destination risk context

RankDestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
1Honduras (HND)High attention96.6%25.4%8.5%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
2El Salvador (SLV)High attention87.8%6.4%8.6%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
3Mexico (MEX)High attention82.3%11.4%9.9%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
4USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)Watch24.7%19.7%0.9%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
5Senegal (SEN)High attention96.7%0.3%13.1%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
6Costa Rica (CRI)High attention87.8%20.6%8.8%Buyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
7Guatemala (GTM)High attention77.5%26.2%8.8%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
8China (CHN)High attention93.2%9.7%30.2%Tariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
9Panama (PAN)High attention94.3%10%12.2%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
10Netherlands (NLD)High attention70.9%15.4%1.4%Volatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure

Emerging corridor signals

RankDestinationHS6SignalMarket importsCurrent shareStrength
1Canada (CAN)780110new$6.1M2.4%100
2China (CHN)160561new$71.8M0.4%100
3El Salvador (SLV)681091new$1.9M6.3%100
4Ecuador (ECU)151321new$7.0M13.8%100
5Russia (RUS)842129new$113.4M0.1%100
6Saudi Arabia (SAU)030611new$4.0M3.6%100
7Czechia (CZE)040610new$137.7M0.1%100
8Senegal (SEN)170114new$2.0M39.3%100
9Senegal (SEN)270900new$898.4M39.1%100
10Dominican Republic (DOM)550953new$13.3M4.9%100

Market opportunity signals

RankMarketHS6Buyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareSignal
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)270900$165.0B$115.5B0%Declining (+1.1%)
2China (CHN)854231$158.0B$93.1B0%Declining (+10.5%)
3India (IND)270900$130.1B$72.9B0%Declining (-0.5%)
4China (CHN)854232$80.6B$65.7B0%Declining (+20.6%)
5China (CHN)854239$81.8B$61.4B0%Declining (+4%)
6USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)851712$53.9B$53.8B0%Growing (-8.8%)
7USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)847150$53.9B$45.6B0%Stable (+60.2%)
8China (CHN)260300$62.6B$35.3B0%Accelerating (+11%)

How to read this page

Separate reported scale from calculated context.

Reported exports, imports, trade balance, sector rows, destination rows, and annual history describe merchandise trade observations for the stated country and year.

CAGR, shares, concentration measures, tariff context, exposure shares, and momentum are calculated indicators built from the available observations. They help organize research but are not additional reported trade or forecasts.

Coverage runs from 1995 through 2024 for this profile. Missing values are shown as Not reported. Read the full methodology ↗

Reported observations

OECD BIMTS merchandise trade values are the primary series for this view.

Calculated indicators

Growth, share, HHI, tariff, and exposure fields are derived from available reported values.

Coverage limits

Unavailable values remain unavailable. No company sales, shipment records, or forecasts are implied.

Questions about this profile

Nicaragua export capability, in context

Short answers for readers comparing country export scale, partner breadth, and calculated trade indicators.

What does the Nicaragua export profile measure?

It combines reported exports, imports, history, destinations, HS2 sectors, partner context, and calculated indicators for Nicaragua.

What is the latest reported export value for Nicaragua?

Nicaragua recorded $8.5B in reported exports in 2024.

Which markets receive the most exports from Nicaragua?

USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands leads by reported export value at $4.2B in 2024. Five destination lanes are highlighted.

Which sectors lead Nicaragua's exports?

Knitted clothing leads by reported value at $1.8B. Five HS2 chapters are highlighted.

How many years of Nicaragua trade history are available?

This sample contains 30 observed annual rows covering 1995 through 2024. Missing observations are not estimated.

Are the growth and exposure values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or market-access guarantees.

Continue your research

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Compare countries, products, sectors, and routes using the available trade evidence and definitions.

Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-28). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.