Life expectancy in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Life expectancy was 74.95 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
74.95 years
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
122nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
74.95 years
in 2023
All-time low
24 years
in 1920
Years of data
77
1920–2023
Life expectancy in Nicaragua, 1920–2023
Source: Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, life expectancy in Nicaragua stood at 74.95 years. That is the highest value across all 77 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in Nicaragua peaked at 74.95 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 24 years, in 1920.
That places Nicaragua 122nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 77 years of available data.
Life expectancy in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 24 years | — |
| 1930 | 28 years | +16.7% |
| 1940 | 34 years | +21.4% |
| 1950 | 40.63 years | +19.5% |
| 1951 | 40.8 years | +0.4% |
| 1952 | 41.86 years | +2.6% |
| 1953 | 42.45 years | +1.4% |
| 1954 | 43.06 years | +1.5% |
| 1955 | 43.66 years | +1.4% |
| 1956 | 44.28 years | +1.4% |
| 1957 | 44.88 years | +1.4% |
| 1958 | 45.48 years | +1.3% |
| 1959 | 46.06 years | +1.3% |
| 1960 | 46.4 years | +0.7% |
| 1961 | 47.29 years | +1.9% |
| 1962 | 47.98 years | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 48.75 years | +1.6% |
| 1964 | 49.59 years | +1.7% |
| 1965 | 50.65 years | +2.1% |
| 1966 | 51.58 years | +1.8% |
| 1967 | 52.35 years | +1.5% |
| 1968 | 52.87 years | +1.0% |
| 1969 | 53.35 years | +0.9% |
| 1970 | 53.82 years | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 54.22 years | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 47.96 years | -11.6% |
| 1973 | 55.02 years | +14.7% |
| 1974 | 55.4 years | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 55.77 years | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 56.12 years | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 56.13 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 53.53 years | -4.6% |
| 1979 | 50.83 years | -5.1% |
| 1980 | 57.95 years | +14.0% |
| 1981 | 58.28 years | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 58.69 years | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 56.85 years | -3.1% |
| 1984 | 56.13 years | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 56.4 years | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 57.56 years | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 57.33 years | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 59.83 years | +4.4% |
| 1989 | 61.88 years | +3.4% |
| 1990 | 62.47 years | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 63.31 years | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 63.67 years | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 64.09 years | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 64.55 years | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 64.87 years | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 65.21 years | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 65.52 years | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 64.11 years | -2.2% |
| 1999 | 65.89 years | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 66.36 years | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 67.03 years | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 67.95 years | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 68.75 years | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 69.51 years | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 70.37 years | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 70.96 years | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 71.2 years | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 71.4 years | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 71.5 years | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 71.76 years | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 72.03 years | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 72.43 years | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 72.55 years | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 72.79 years | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 72.9 years | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 73.18 years | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 73.39 years | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 73.88 years | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 73.76 years | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 70.77 years | -4.1% |
| 2021 | 70.48 years | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 74.46 years | +5.7% |
| 2023 | 74.95 years | +0.7% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 74.95 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 67.65 years, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 74.95 years is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 75.34 years, 99% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 24 years | 24 years | 24 years | 1 |
| 1930s | 28 years | 28 years | 28 years | 1 |
| 1940s | 34 years | 34 years | 34 years | 1 |
| 1950s | 43.32 years | 40.63 years | 46.06 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 50.08 years | 46.4 years | 53.35 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 53.88 years | 47.96 years | 56.13 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 58.09 years | 56.13 years | 61.88 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 64.37 years | 62.47 years | 65.89 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 69.5 years | 66.36 years | 71.5 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 72.87 years | 71.76 years | 73.88 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 72.66 years | 70.48 years | 74.95 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More health data for Nicaragua
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.83 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6599 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,175 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 215 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.3497 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0458 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.323 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy in Nicaragua?
- Life expectancy in Nicaragua was 74.95 years in 2023, according to Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 74.95 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 24 years in 1920.
- How does Nicaragua rank for life expectancy?
- Nicaragua ranks 122nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nicaragua data come from?
- The figures come from Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Period life expectancy is the number of years the average person born in a certain year would live if they experienced the same chances of dying at each age as people did that year.