Nicaragua

South & Central America and the Caribbean
Nicaragua world map

Trade in Nicaragua

Nicaragua was the world’s 98th largest exporter of goods and 97th largest exporter of commercial services in 2021. Export values were $6,495 and $978 million USD respectively. Nicaragua’s top export category was agricultural products, followed by manufactures, and fuels and mining products. In 2020, Nicaragua’s main export destination markets for goods and services trade were to the United States, Mexico and El Salvador, with trade representing 89.4 per cent of GDP. In terms of imports, Nicaragua’s import values were $10,166 and $843 million USD respectively in 2021. Nicaragua’s top import category was manufactures, followed by fuels and mining products and agricultural products. Leading import partners were the United States, China and Mexico. Nicaragua is part of 10 different Regional Trade Agreements, such as Central American Common Market (CACM) and Chile – Nicaragua (Chile – Central America).
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General Information

This section includes general information on the economy, legal system, official languages and links to additional demographic information.

Official Name

Republic of Nicaragua

Abbreviation

NI

Capital

Managua

WTO Membership Date

3 September 1995

Legal System

civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts

Language

Spanish

Number of Time Zone(s)

1

Additional Information

Financial Information

This section includes financial information such as the currency, exchange rate lookup and local banks issuing trade finance.

Currency

Nicaraguan córdoba

Exchange Rate

 Google Finance Currencies

Contact Information

This section includes contact information for business support organizations and national resources.

Business Support Organizations

Government MSME Agency

  • Ministry of Development, Industry and Trade (MIFIC)

    -

  • Ministry of Family, Community, Cooperative and Associative Economy (MEFCCA)

Copyright Offices

  • National Office of Copyright and Related Rights

  • Intellectual Property Registry (RPI)

  • Ministry of Development, Industry and Trade (MIFIC)

Industrial Property Offices

  • Intellectual Property Registry (RPI)

  • Ministry of Development, Industry and Trade (MIFIC)

SPS Enquiry Points

Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) enquiry points are government agencies designated to answer questions about trade requirements.

  • Instituto de Protección y Sanidad Agropecuaria (IPSA)
    Santiago Alejandro Rodriguez Perez
    Asesor Legal
    Phone: +(505) 8835 9151
    Website: http://www.ipsa.gob.ni/

    Carretera Norte, Paso a desnivel Portezuelo 100 metros al este, 150 metros al sur

    [email protected]

TBT Enquiry Points

Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) enquiry points are government agencies designated to answer questions about trade requirements.

  • Ministerio de Fomento, Industria y Comercio (MIFIC)
    Dirección de Normalización y Metrología (DNM)
    Oficina de Información y Notificación (OIN)
    Phone: + (505) 22489300; Extensiones: 1320; 1314; 1310
    Website: www.mific.gob.ni/Inicio/Comercio/Comercio-Interior/SNC/snn/enn/ncp

    Carretera a Masaya, Kilómetro 6, frente a Camino de Oriente. Managua, Nicaragua

    [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Additional Information

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Last Reviewed: June, 2023

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Resources related to Nicaragua

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    Private Firms and SME Development

    This is a webpage by Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on Private Firms and SME Development.

    Source: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

    Businesses: Policymakers: Goods, Services, Capacity Building, International Organization, South & Central America and the Caribbean,
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    Policies for Competitive SMEs in the Pacific Alliance and Participating South American countries

    This report assesses the strengths and weaknesses that exist in different areas of SME policy design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.

    Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD), 2019

    Businesses: Policymakers: Goods, Regional Trade Agreements, Oceania, South & Central America and the Caribbean,
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    Voluntary Sustainability Standards Caribbean Community

    The report investigates the potentiality of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) to enhance the Caribbean Community’s aquaculture and agriculture exports to the EU.

    Source: UNCTAD, 2021

    Policymakers: Goods, Regulation & Standards, Sustainability, Europe, South & Central America and the Caribbean,
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