Share of the population with at least some formal education in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 90.3% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Nicaragua, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population with at least some formal education in Nicaragua is 90.3%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is up 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Nicaragua peaked at 90.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.2%, in 1870.
Nicaragua ranks 82nd of 111 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 4.2% | — |
| 1875 | 5.3% | +26.2% |
| 1880 | 6.5% | +22.6% |
| 1885 | 8.1% | +24.6% |
| 1890 | 10.0% | +23.5% |
| 1895 | 12.1% | +21.0% |
| 1900 | 21.2% | +75.2% |
| 1905 | 24.5% | +15.6% |
| 1910 | 26.6% | +8.6% |
| 1915 | 28.2% | +6.0% |
| 1920 | 30.2% | +7.1% |
| 1925 | 33.1% | +9.6% |
| 1930 | 34.2% | +3.3% |
| 1935 | 34.3% | +0.3% |
| 1940 | 34.6% | +0.9% |
| 1945 | 35.0% | +1.2% |
| 1950 | 35.9% | +2.6% |
| 1955 | 40.1% | +11.7% |
| 1960 | 45.4% | +13.2% |
| 1965 | 49.5% | +9.0% |
| 1970 | 52.5% | +6.1% |
| 1975 | 55.1% | +5.0% |
| 1980 | 57.4% | +4.2% |
| 1985 | 60.9% | +6.1% |
| 1990 | 65.4% | +7.4% |
| 1995 | 69.4% | +6.1% |
| 2000 | 74.7% | +7.6% |
| 2005 | 80.5% | +7.8% |
| 2010 | 84.6% | +5.1% |
| 2015 | 87.8% | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 90.3% | +2.8% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 90.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 85.2%, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 90.3% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 97.1%, 93% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population with at least some formal education in Nicaragua changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | +75.2% | 12.1% | 21.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 4.8% | 4.2% | 5.3% | 2 |
| 1880s | 7.3% | 6.5% | 8.1% | 2 |
| 1890s | 11.1% | 10.0% | 12.1% | 2 |
| 1900s | 22.9% | 21.2% | 24.5% | 2 |
| 1910s | 27.4% | 26.6% | 28.2% | 2 |
| 1920s | 31.6% | 30.2% | 33.1% | 2 |
| 1930s | 34.2% | 34.2% | 34.3% | 2 |
| 1940s | 34.8% | 34.6% | 35.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 38.0% | 35.9% | 40.1% | 2 |
| 1960s | 47.5% | 45.4% | 49.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 53.8% | 52.5% | 55.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 59.1% | 57.4% | 60.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 67.4% | 65.4% | 69.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 77.6% | 74.7% | 80.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 86.2% | 84.6% | 87.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 90.3% | 90.3% | 90.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More education data for Nicaragua
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12,739 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 85,306 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 132,281 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 131,337 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 463,660 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 880,080 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9095 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.129 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with at least some formal education in Nicaragua?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Nicaragua was 90.3% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 90.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.2% in 1870.
- How does Nicaragua rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Nicaragua ranks 82nd out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nicaragua data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.