Labour · Latin America & Caribbean · Lower-middle income
Nicaragua: the labour market
Labour force is 3.3m (2025), 103rd of 187 in the world and 16th of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean. Participation rate is 66.1% (2025), 54th of 187 in the world and 9th of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean. Women's participation is 51.3% (2025), 111th of 187 in the world and 19th of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean.
Labour force
Nicaragua
Participation rate
NicaraguaLatin America & CaribbeanLower-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Nicaragua in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Latin America & Caribbean; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 3.3m2025 | 103/187 | 16/31 | 1.8m | 2.4m | 2.9m | +22%since 2015 | 325m | 1.2bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 66.1%2025 | 54/187 | 9/31 | 60.2% | 63.6% | 64.4% | +1.0 ppsince 2015 | 62.7% | 58.2% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 51.3%2025 | 111/187 | 19/31 | 35.9% | 44.4% | 48.1% | +2.9 ppsince 2015 | 51.4% | 39.2% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 62.7%2025 | 52/187 | 6/31 | 55.9% | 58.6% | 60.4% | +0.7 ppsince 2015 | 59.3% | 55.6% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 5.0%2025 | 100/187 | 21/31 | 7.2% | 7.8% | 6.2% | +0.3 ppsince 2015 | 5.5% | 4.5% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 5.2%2025 | 106/187 | 22/31 | 7.5% | 8.7% | 6.0% | −0.3 ppsince 2015 | 6.5% | 4.9% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 9.5%2025 | 121/187 | 22/31 | 11.4% | 12.1% | 11.4% | +0.8 ppsince 2015 | 12.2% | 13.1% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 24.5%2014 | — | — | 26.1%2001 | 15.0%2012 | · | −1.6 ppsince 2001 | 18.1% | 21.8% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 55.7%2025 | 121/187 | 26/31 | 54.3% | 53.0% | 54.4% | +1.5 ppsince 2015 | 64.4% | 29.6% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 38.9%2025 | 68/187 | 6/31 | 39.7% | 41.6% | 40.3% | −1.4 ppsince 2015 | 31.5% | 65.5% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 30.5%2025 | 59/187 | 3/31 | 36.9% | 32.6% | 31.7% | −0.5 ppsince 2015 | 12.7% | 39.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 16.9%2025 | 120/187 | 21/31 | 17.1% | 17.3% | 16.8% | −0.9 ppsince 2015 | 20.5% | 22.4% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 52.6%2025 | 116/187 | 28/31 | 46.0% | 50.1% | 51.5% | +1.4 ppsince 2015 | 66.8% | 37.8% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Women's participation+2.9 pp51.3% in 2025
- Employment rate+0.7 pp62.7% in 2025
- Female unemployment−0.3 pp5.2% in 2025
- Youth NEET rate−1.6 pp24.5% in 2014
Worse than ten years ago
- Unemployment+0.3 pp5.0% in 2025
- Youth unemployment+0.8 pp9.5% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Nicaragua and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Nicaragua. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Nicaragua | Colombia | Honduras | Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 3.3m2025 | 27.1m2025 | 4.3m2025 | 2.4m2025 |
| Participation rate | 66.1%2025 | 63.4%2025 | 56.6%2025 | 57.7%2025 |
| Women's participation | 51.3%2025 | 51.6%2025 | 39.6%2025 | 46.0%2025 |
| Employment rate | 62.7%2025 | 58.1%2025 | 53.8%2025 | 53.7%2025 |
| Unemployment | 5.0%2025 | 8.3%2025 | 4.9%2025 | 6.8%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 5.2%2025 | 10.5%2025 | 6.4%2025 | 7.8%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 9.5%2025 | 17.7%2025 | 8.5%2025 | 19.9%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 24.5%2014 | 22.0%2025 | 29.0%2025 | 19.4%2025 |
| Wage workers | 55.7%2025 | 54.4%2025 | 55.9%2025 | 73.4%2025 |