Democracy Index in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Democracy Index was 6 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
6
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
86th
of 168 countries
All-time high
9
in 2007
All-time low
-8
in 1936
Years of data
179
1838–2018
Democracy Index in Nicaragua, 1838–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for democracy index in Nicaragua is 6, measured in 2018.
That represents a change of down 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in Nicaragua peaked at 9 in 2007 and was at its lowest, -8, in 1936.
That places Nicaragua 86th out of 168 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Democracy Index in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1838 | -5 | — |
| 1839 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1840 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1841 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1842 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1843 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1844 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1845 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1846 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1847 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1848 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1849 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1850 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1851 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1852 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1853 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1854 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1855 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1856 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1857 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1858 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1859 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1860 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1861 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1862 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1863 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1864 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1865 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1866 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1867 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1868 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1869 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1870 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1871 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1872 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1873 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1874 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1875 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1876 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1877 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1878 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1879 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1880 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1881 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1882 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1883 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1884 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1885 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1886 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1887 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1888 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1889 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1890 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1891 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1892 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1893 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1894 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1895 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1896 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1897 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1898 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1899 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1900 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1901 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1902 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1903 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1904 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1905 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1906 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1907 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1908 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1909 | -3 | -40.0% |
| 1910 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1911 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1912 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1913 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1914 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1915 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1916 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1917 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1918 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1919 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1920 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1921 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1922 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1923 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1924 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1925 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1928 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1929 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1930 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1931 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1932 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1933 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1936 | -8 | +166.7% |
| 1937 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1945 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1946 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1947 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1948 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1949 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1951 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1952 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1953 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1957 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1959 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1961 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1962 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -3 | -62.5% |
| 1980 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -5 | +66.7% |
| 1982 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -1 | -80.0% |
| 1985 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -1 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 6 | -700.0% |
| 1991 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 8 | +33.3% |
| 1996 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 9 | +12.5% |
| 2008 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 | -33.3% |
| 2017 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 | +0.0% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 6 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5, 1.2× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 6 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 8, 75% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | -5 | -5 | -5 | 2 |
| 1840s | -5 | -5 | -5 | 10 |
| 1850s | -5 | -5 | -5 | 10 |
| 1860s | -5 | -5 | -5 | 10 |
| 1870s | -5 | -5 | -5 | 10 |
| 1880s | -5 | -5 | -5 | 10 |
| 1890s | -5 | -5 | -5 | 10 |
| 1900s | -4.8 | -5 | -3 | 10 |
| 1910s | -3 | -3 | -3 | 10 |
| 1920s | -3 | -3 | -3 | 8 |
| 1930s | -5 | -8 | -3 | 10 |
| 1940s | -8 | -8 | -8 | 10 |
| 1950s | -8 | -8 | -8 | 10 |
| 1960s | -8 | -8 | -8 | 10 |
| 1970s | -7.5 | -8 | -3 | 10 |
| 1980s | -2.4 | -5 | -1 | 10 |
| 1990s | 7 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.3 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 2010s | 8 | 6 | 9 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More social development data for Nicaragua
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 311 (2023)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 35,341 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.005 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 35,341 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2023)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy index in Nicaragua?
- Democracy index in Nicaragua was 6 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy index recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 9 in 2007.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was -8 in 1936.
- How does Nicaragua rank for democracy index?
- Nicaragua ranks 86th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy index rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nicaragua data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 179 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from -10 to 10 (fully democratic).