Land use in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Land use was 1.80 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1.80 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
95th
of 224 countries
All-time high
2.23 million hectares
in 2005
All-time low
1.18 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Nicaragua, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Nicaragua recorded 1.80 million hectares for land use in 2023.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Nicaragua peaked at 2.23 million hectares in 2005 and was at its lowest, 1.18 million hectares, in 1961.
Nicaragua ranks 95th of 224 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.18 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 1.18 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1.19 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 1.19 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1.19 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1.20 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 1.20 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1.20 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1.21 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 1.21 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 1.21 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1.21 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 1.22 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 1.23 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 1.23 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 1.23 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 1.23 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 1.24 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 1.24 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 1.25 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 1.33 million hectares | +6.6% |
| 1982 | 1.33 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 1.33 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 1.38 million hectares | +4.0% |
| 1985 | 1.41 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 1.41 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 1.44 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 1.47 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 1989 | 1.49 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 1.50 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 1.50 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 1.52 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 1.56 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 1.56 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 1.87 million hectares | +19.5% |
| 1996 | 1.88 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 1.98 million hectares | +5.4% |
| 1998 | 2.03 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 2.08 million hectares | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 2.15 million hectares | +3.3% |
| 2001 | 2.17 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 2.19 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 2.20 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 2.21 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 2.23 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 2.16 million hectares | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 2.08 million hectares | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 2.01 million hectares | -3.7% |
| 2009 | 1.93 million hectares | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 1.85 million hectares | -4.1% |
| 2011 | 1.80 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 1.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.80 million hectares | +0.0% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 1.80 million hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.82 million hectares, 64% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 1.80 million hectares is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 544,348 hectares, 3.3× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.19 million hectares | 1.18 million hectares | 1.21 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.22 million hectares | 1.21 million hectares | 1.24 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.38 million hectares | 1.25 million hectares | 1.49 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.75 million hectares | 1.50 million hectares | 2.08 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.13 million hectares | 1.93 million hectares | 2.23 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.80 million hectares | 1.80 million hectares | 1.85 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.80 million hectares | 1.80 million hectares | 1.80 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More environment data for Nicaragua
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.64 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 4.53 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Standard Deviation 0.243 °C (2024)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.0474 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Nicaragua?
- Land use in Nicaragua was 1.80 million hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 2.23 million hectares in 2005.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.18 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Nicaragua rank for land use?
- Nicaragua ranks 95th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nicaragua data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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