Photo: Neil Palmer (CIAT) · CC BY-SA 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 14 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Nicaragua: Poverty & Inequality
Where is income shared most fairly, and poverty shallowest?
Nicaragua is placed joint 138th of 159 countries on poverty & inequality in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 3 key statistics. Readings behind it: Gini Index 46.16 (2023); Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day 1.81 (2023).
Share
Poverty & Inequality
joint138th
of 159 countries placed
Placed from 2 of 3 key statistics
01The evidence
The 3 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Nicaragua on poverty & inequality — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 3
Gini Index
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2013–2023 · Nicaragua’s is from 2014 · CC BY 4.0
46.16
Gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality)
Lower is better
Nicaragua: 46.16. Across the 159 countries at their latest reading, values run from 23 (India) to 59.07 (Namibia); the world median is 33.72.
- World median
- 33.72
- Best in Central America
- 39.8 El Salvador
- Land neighbours
- Costa Rica 46.73 · Honduras 46.83
Key 2 of 3
Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2013–2023 · Nicaragua’s is from 2014 · CC BY 4.0
1.81
Poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%)
Lower is better
Nicaragua: 1.81. Across the 159 countries at their latest reading, values run from 0 (Czechia) to 48.69 (DR Congo); the world median is 0.345.
- World median
- 0.345
- Best in Central America
- 0.21 Belize
- Land neighbours
- Costa Rica 0.48 · Honduras 6.95
Key 3 of 3
Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
No reading
Share of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%)
Lower is better
FAO publishes no 2025 figure for Nicaragua, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 145 countries in this edition, values run from 0.6 (Belarus) to 93.9 (South Sudan); the world median is 26.4.
- World median
- 26.4
- Best in Central America
- 17.8 Belize
- Land neighbours
- Costa Rica 41.8 · Honduras 34.2
02Over time
Which way Nicaragua is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Gini Index
Gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality) · lower is better
NicaraguaWorld median
Nicaragua fell from 48.82 in 2005 to 46.16 in 2014; the world median went from 36.28 to 34.78.
Every year’s figures
Year Nicaragua World median 2023 — 33.72 2022 — 33.91 2021 — 34.04 2020 — 34.18 2019 — 33.51 2018 — 35.25 2017 — 34.86 2016 — 34.47 2015 — 35.52 2014 46 34.79 2013 — 36.16 2012 — 35.40 2011 — 33.96 2010 — 33.71 2009 44 34.91 2008 — 34.60 2007 — 34.26 2006 — 35.63 2005 49 36.28 2004 — 34.29 2003 — 35.46 2002 — 37.14 Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day
Poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%) · lower is better
NicaraguaWorld median
Nicaragua fell from 4.61 in 2005 to 1.81 in 2014; the world median went from 1.25 to 0.635.
Every year’s figures
Year Nicaragua World median 2023 — 0.345 2022 — 0.420 2021 — 0.335 2020 — 0.280 2019 — 0.380 2018 — 0.460 2017 — 0.300 2016 — 0.440 2015 — 0.500 2014 2 0.635 2013 — 0.515 2012 — 0.640 2011 — 0.430 2010 — 0.530 2009 4 0.600 2008 — 0.350 2007 — 0.360 2006 — 0.465 2005 5 1.250 2004 — 0.790 2003 — 1.650 2002 — 3.010 Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet
Share of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%) · lower is better
NicaraguaWorld median
Nicaragua rose from 25.5 in 2017 to 27.1 in 2023; the world median went from 32.4 to 27.15.
Every year’s figures
Year Nicaragua World median 2025 — 26.40 2024 — 27.10 2023 27.1 27.15 2022 27.9 27.90 2021 27.3 29.65 2020 30.9 31.80 2019 29.5 29.05 2018 27.5 29.85 2017 25.5 32.40
03In context
Nicaragua beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 159 countries on poverty & inequality, never a place within the region.
Nicaragua and the countries it borders
Standing among all 159; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Gini IndexGini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality) | Poverty Gap at $3.00 a DayPoverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%) | Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy DietShare of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Costa Rica | 110th | 46.73 | 0.48 | 41.8 |
 Honduras | 131st | 46.83 | 6.95 | 34.2 |
| Nicaragua | =138th | 46.16 | 1.81 | — |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Central America
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 159.
Placed either side on poverty & inequality
The countries immediately above and below Nicaragua in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Nicaragua is ahead of the world, and behind
11 more statistics filed under poverty & inequality, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median2
Statistics on which Nicaragua does better than the middle country measured.
Intergenerational Persistence in EducationWorld Bank Group · 2017 · world median 0.4460.4370.446No earlier reading
Nicaragua: 0.437 · world median 0.446 · Correlation between own and parents' years of schooling, born 1980–89 (0–1). World Bank Group, 2017 edition, data for 2017.
Published values in that edition run from 0.123 to 0.66; lower is better.
Position 84th of 153 · derived, 1st = worst.
Working Poverty RateILO · 2025 · world median 4.8853.8384.885▼ Worsened since 2015
Nicaragua: 3.838 · world median 4.885 · Employed people living in extreme poverty (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.007 to 86.02; lower is better.
Behind the world median7
Statistics on which Nicaragua does worse than the middle country measured.
Adequacy of Social Protection and Labour BenefitsWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 18.6517.1418.65No earlier reading
Nicaragua: 17.14 · world median 18.65 · Benefits received as a share of beneficiaries' total income or consumption (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.455 to 90.86; higher is better.
Inequality-adjusted Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.6090.5350.609No real change since 2013
Nicaragua: 0.535 · world median 0.609 · IHDI (0–1). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.226 to 0.923; higher is better.
Position 104th of 169 · derived.
Poverty Headcount at $3.00 a Day, Line-up EstimatesWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 2.15.282.1▼ Worsened since 2014
Nicaragua: 5.28 · world median 2.1 · Population below $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP, World Bank line-up estimate (%). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 89.54; lower is better.
Coefficient of Human InequalityUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 17.0523.517.05▼ Worsened since 2013
Nicaragua: 23.5 · world median 17.05 · Coefficient of Human Inequality (%). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 4.865 to 43.08; lower is better.
Position 61st of 169 · derived, 1st = worst.
Multidimensional Poverty MeasureWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 4.25217.454.252No earlier reading
Nicaragua: 17.45 · world median 4.252 · Multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 87.96; lower is better.
Position 52nd of 157 · derived, 1st = worst.
Actual Individual Consumption per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 2021 · world median 12,8005,48712,800No real change since 2017
Nicaragua: 5,487 · world median 12,800 · Actual individual consumption per capita (PPP, current international $). World Bank Group, 2021 edition, data for 2021.
Published values in that edition run from 688.7 to 52,654; higher is better.
Position 128th of 173 · derived.
Exclusion by Socio-Economic GroupV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2023 · world median 0.4130.8350.413▼ Worsened since 2013
Nicaragua: 0.835 · world median 0.413 · Exclusion by socio-economic group index (0–1; higher = more exclusion). V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.014 to 0.969; lower is better.
Position 18th of 174 · derived, 1st = worst.
No better end2
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Catastrophic Out-of-Pocket Health SpendingWorld Bank Group · 2019 · world median 6.8824.736.88No earlier reading
Nicaragua: 24.73 · world median 6.88 · Population in households spending more than 10% of their budget on health out of pocket (%). World Bank Group, 2019 edition, data for 2019.
Published values in that edition run from 0.133 to 31.21.
Poverty Headcount at National Poverty LinesWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 21.824.921.8No earlier reading
Nicaragua: 24.9 · world median 21.8 · Population below the national poverty line (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 82.3.
No current reading for Nicaragua
Coefficient of Variation of Habitual Caloric Consumption (last 2022), Cost of a Healthy Diet (last 2023), Gini Index (last 2014), Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID) (last 2014), Gini Index of Monthly Earnings (last 2014), Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (last 2024), Income Growth of the Poorest 40% (last 2019), Income Share Held by Lowest 20% (last 2014), Income Share Held by Richest 10% (last 2014), Low Pay Rate (last 2012), Median Daily Income or Consumption per Person (last 2014), Palma Ratio (last 2014), Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day (last 2014), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a Day (last 2014), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $4.20 a Day (last 2014), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a Day (last 2014), Poverty Severity (Squared Poverty Gap) at $3.00 a Day (last 2014), Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity, Prosperity Gap (last 2014), Severe Child Food Poverty, Children Aged 6–23 Months, Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet (last 2023), Societal Poverty Rate (last 2014) and Wealth Parity Index, Lower Secondary Completion. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Poverty & Inequality among Nicaragua’s 15 topics
Poverty & Inequality is Nicaragua’s 13th best-placed topic of 15. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Environment & Sustainabilityjoint 15th of 1862/4 keys
- Work & Labourjoint 78th of 1824/4 keys
- Energy73rd of 1653/3 keys
- Health & Wellbeingjoint 90th of 2002/4 keys
- Gender & Equality87th of 1834/4 keys
- Risk & Resiliencejoint 116th of 1934/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation119th of 1764/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital135th of 1963/3 keys
- Education & Knowledge146th of 1984/4 keys
- Peace & Securityjoint 132nd of 1774/4 keys
- Digital & Technologyjoint 150th of 1983/4 keys
- Mobility & Trade147th of 1774/4 keys
- Poverty & Inequalityjoint 138th of 1592/3 keys
- Governance & Institutions181st of 1944/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties193rd of 1984/4 keys
No standing on Food & Agriculture: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on poverty & inequality
The three countries placed highest of 159, and the leaders Nicaragua can most readily be measured against.
1
BelarusEastern Europe
1st of 159 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: zedlik , cropped by Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
SloveniaSouthern Europe
2nd of 159 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
=3
UkraineEastern Europe
Joint 3rd of 159 · 2 of 3 keys
Photo: uploaded by Chern038 · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Americas
Canada28th3/3 keysHighest in Central America
Belize75th3/3 keysThis page
Nicaragua=138th2/3 keys
Positions out of 159 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Survey-based figures come from household surveys, which most countries run every few years rather than annually, so each country is read from its most recent survey of the last decade and the year of every reading is shown; a country with no survey in that time has no standing here. Wealth, as distinct from income, is not measured, because no global source of household wealth is available to this site under a licence that allows republishing it. Multidimensional poverty, national poverty lines and the income growth of the poorest are published here as context, and what work pays is under Work & Labour.
How the Poverty & Inequality standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 3 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 3 keys to be placed.
The poverty & inequality method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Gini Index — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CC BY 4.0
The other 11 statistics on this page come from 4 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Nicaragua’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Nicaragua (banner) — Neil Palmer (CIAT), CC BY-SA 2.0
- Belarus — zedlik , cropped by Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Slovenia — Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 3.0
- Ukraine — uploaded by Chern038, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Nicaragua: Poverty & Inequality — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/nicaragua/poverty