Central America and the Caribbean > Nicaragua > Economy

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Agriculture > products coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products
Aid as % of GDP	23.4%		[8th of 129]
Big Mac Index	$2.11		[41st of 65]
Debt > External	$3,341,000,000.00		[106th of 136]
Distribution of family income > Gini index	43.1		[8th of 43]
Economic freedom	2		[79th of 156]
Economy > Overview Nicaragua has widespread underemployment, one of the highest degrees of income inequality in the world, and the third lowest per capita income in the Western Hemisphere. While the country has progressed toward macroeconomic stability in the past few years, annual GDP growth has been far too low to meet the country's needs, forcing the country to rely on international economic assistance to meet fiscal and debt financing obligations. In early 2004, Nicaragua secured some $4.5 billion in foreign debt reduction under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in October 2007, the IMF approved a new poverty reduction and growth facility (PRGF) program that should create fiscal space for social spending and investment. The continuity of a relationship with the IMF reinforces donor confidence, despite private sector concerns surrounding ORTEGA, which has dampened investment. The US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) has been in effect since April 2006 and has expanded export opportunities for many agricultural and manufactured goods. Energy shortages fueled by high oil prices, however, are a serious bottleneck to growth.
Exports	$2,313,000,000.00		[118th of 189]
GDP	$5,369,219,000.00		[121st of 203]
GDP > PPP	$18,902,000,000.00		[100th of 163]
GDP > Real growth rate	3.8%		[127th of 198]
GINI index	43.11		[8th of 40]
Gross National Income	$1,782,680,000.00		[128th of 172]
Human Development Index	0.69		[113rd of 178]
Income category	Low income
Income distribution > Poorest 10%	0.7%		[111st of 114]
Income distribution > Richest 10%	48.8%		[2nd of 114]
Population below poverty line	48%		[4th of 46]
Public debt	62.9 % of GDP		[25th of 121]
Technological achievement	0.19		[60th of 68]

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