Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Nicaragua

Nicaragua: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 0.1% in 2015. ▲ Rising

Latest (2015)
0.1%
Change on year
up 20.2%
World rank
98th
of 116 countries
All-time high
0.1%
in 2015
All-time low
0.0%
in 2002
Years of data
7
1997–2015

Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Nicaragua, 1997–2015

0.040.060.080.11997200620151997: 0.065 % of GDP2002: 0.035 % of GDP2011: 0.083 % of GDP2012: 0.104 % of GDP2013: 0.103 % of GDP2014: 0.089 % of GDP2015: 0.107 % of GDP

Source: UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

Nicaragua recorded 0.1% for research & development spending as a share of gdp in 2015. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.

That represents a change of up 20.2% on the previous year and up 207.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Nicaragua peaked at 0.1% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2002.

That places Nicaragua 98th out of 116 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1
2000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
2010s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 5

Countries ranked near Nicaragua

  1. 95 Kazakhstan 0.2% compare
  2. 96 Mali 0.1% compare
  3. 97 Paraguay 0.1% compare
  4. 99 Sri Lanka 0.1% compare
  5. 100 Burkina Faso 0.1% compare
  6. 101 Uzbekistan 0.1% compare

See the full ranking of 116 places →

More science & technology data for Nicaragua

All data for Nicaragua →

Frequently asked questions

What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in Nicaragua?
Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Nicaragua was 0.1% in 2015, according to UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Nicaragua?
The highest recorded value was 0.1% in 2015.
What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Nicaragua?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2002.
How does Nicaragua rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
Nicaragua ranks 98th out of 116 countries with data for 2015.
Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Nicaragua?
Over the last ten years it is up 207.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Nicaragua data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Research & development spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Research & development spending as a share of GDP
Unit
% of GDP
Source
UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
116 places, 2,375 data points, 1996–2024
Last refreshed

Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.