Governance at a glance
- Government
- Unitary diarchy
- UN member
- Yes
- Independent
- Yes
- CPI score (2026)
- 14/100
- Press freedom (2025)
- 22.8/100 #172
- Electoral democracy (2025)
- 0.151
- HDI
- 0.706
- Regional blocs
- CAIS
Government and leaders
- Government type
- Unitary diarchy
| Title | Name |
|---|---|
| President of Nicaragua | Daniel Ortega |
| President of Nicaragua | Rosario Murillo |
| President of the National Assembly of Nicaragua | Gustavo Porras Cortés |
Safety and security
- Homicide rate (2021)
- 11.4/100k
- Traffic deaths (2019)
- 16.9/100k
- Military spending (2024)
- 0.6% of GDP
Corruption perceptions index
- CPI score (2026)
- 14 / 100
- Interpretation
- High corruption
Democracy index
- Electoral (2025)
- 0.151
- Liberal
- 0.019
- Participatory
- 0.098
- Deliberative
- 0.017
- Egalitarian
- 0.085
Press freedom index
- Overall score (2025)
- 22.8 / 100
- Global rank
- #172 / 180
- Rank change
- -9 vs previous year
- RSF zone
- Amériques
- Political #168
- 14.8
- Economic #166
- 24.8
- Legal #170
- 19.9
- Social #165
- 30.1
- Safety #168
- 24.6
Press freedom historical data
| Year | Score | Rank | Political | Economic | Legal | Social | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 22.8 | 172 | 14.8 | 24.8 | 19.9 | 30.1 | 24.6 |
| 2024 | 29.2 | 163 | 17.2 | 34.0 | 30.3 | 36.6 | 27.8 |
| 2023 | 37.1 | 158 | 35.8 | 45.5 | 28.2 | 44.3 | 31.7 |
| 2022 | 37.1 | 160 | 37.5 | 38.8 | 31.8 | 49.8 | 27.7 |
| 2021 | 60.0 | 121 | - | - | - | - | 72.9 |
| 2020 | 64.2 | 117 | - | - | - | - | 68.2 |
| 2019 | 64.5 | 114 | - | - | - | - | 68.7 |
| 2018 | 69.6 | 90 | - | - | - | - | 100.0 |
| 2017 | 69.0 | 92 | - | - | - | - | 83.9 |
| 2016 | 71.2 | 75 | - | - | - | - | 100.0 |
| 2015 | 72.1 | 74 | - | - | - | - | 71.1 |
| 2014 | 72.3 | 71 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2013 | 71.7 | 78 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2012 | 24.3 | 72 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2010 | 22.3 | 83 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2009 | 16.8 | 76 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2008 | 12.5 | 59 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2007 | 14.3 | 47 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2006 | 15.5 | 69 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2005 | 15.3 | 68 | - | - | - | - | - |