Demographics of Nicaragua#Indigenous population

File:Nicaragua-demography.png

According to {{UN_Population|source}} the total population was {{UN_Population|Nicaragua}} in {{UN_Population|Year}}, compared to only 1,295,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 34.5%, 60.9% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 4.6% was 65 years or older

.{{Cite web|url=https://population.un.org/wpp/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110506065230/http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/index.htm|url-status=dead|title=World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations|archivedate=May 6, 2011|website=population.un.org}}

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|title= Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2009):{{cite web|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2.htm|title=United Nations Statistics Division - Demographic and Social Statistics|website=Unstats.un.org|access-date=3 October 2017}}

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|title= Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.07.2023): {{Cite web |title=Nicaragua in figures 2023 |url=https://www.bcn.gob.ni/sites/default/files/documentos/Nicaragua%20en%20cifras%202023.pdf}}

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Ninety percent of Nicaraguans live in the Pacific lowlands and the adjacent interior highlands. The population is 54% urban. The most populous city in Nicaragua is the capital city, Managua, with a population of 1.2 million (2005). As of 2005, over 4.4 million inhabitants live in the Pacific, Central and North regions of the country. There are 2.7 million residents in the Pacific region. The Caribbean region has an estimated 700,000 residents. In addition, many Nicaraguans live abroad.

{{cite web| url = https://data.worldbank.org/country/nicaragua| title = Worldbank, country Nicaragua, visited October 9, 2021}}{{GraphChart

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| y1= 1.77, 1.83, 1.89, 1.95, 2.01, 2.07, 2.13, 2.2, 2.26, 2.33, 2.41,2.48, 2.56, 2.64, 2.72, 2.81, 2.89, 2.99, 3.08, 3.17, 3.27, 3.36,3.46, 3.55, 3.64, 3.73, 3.82, 3.91, 4, 4.08, 4.17, 4.27, 4.36, 4.46, 4.56, 4.65, 4.74, 4.83, 4.91, 4.99, 5.07, 5.15, 5.22, 5.29,5.36, 5.44, 5.51, 5.59, 5.67,5.75,5.82, 5.9, 5.98, 6.06, 6.14, 6.22, 6.3, 6.38, 6.47, 6.55, 6.62

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Registration of vital events is in Nicaragua not complete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.

{{cite web|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/serATab3.pdf|title=3. Live births, deaths, and infant deaths, latest available year (2002 - 2016)|website=Unstats.un.org|access-date=3 October 2017}}{{Cite web | url=https://www.inide.gob.ni/Home/Compendios | title=Instituto Nacional de Información de Desarrollo - INIDE }}

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):{{cite web|url=http://microdata.worldbank.org/index.php/catalog/dhs#_r=&collection=&country=&dtype=&from=1890&page=11&ps=&sk=&sort_by=nation&sort_order=&to=2014&topic=&view=s&vk=|title=MEASURE DHS: Demographic and Health Surveys|website=Microdata.worldbank.org|access-date=3 October 2017}}

{{Pie chart

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|caption = Ethnic groups in Nicaragua % {{cite web|url= https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nicaragua/|title=Central America and Caribbean :: NICARAGUA|publisher= CIA The World Factbook|access-date=3 October 2017}}

|label1 = Mestizo

|value1 = 69

|color1 = Red

|label2 = White

|value2 =17

|label3 = Black

|value3= 9

|label4 = Native American

|value4= 5

}}

{{see also|Nicaraguans}}

File:Afro-Nica.jpg.]]

According to the 2005 census 443,847 (8.6%) residents consider themselves to belong to an indigenous people or to an ethnic community.{{cite web|url=http://www.inide.gob.ni/censos2005/ResumenCensal/Resumen2.pdf|title=CAPÍTULO 1 : CENSO DE POBLACIÓN|website=Inide.gob.ni|access-date=3 October 2017}} The remaining majority of the Nicaraguan population (91.6%) are deemed mestizo and white, with the majority of these being of Spanish, with some German, Italian, Portuguese and French ancestry. Mestizos and whites mainly reside in the western region of the country.

Possibly also a part of the black or Afro-Nicaraguan population, which mainly resides on the country's sparsely populated Caribbean (or Atlantic) coast, is included in the majority population which does not consider itself to belong to an ethnic community. In the 2005 census, there were only 19,890 Creoles (0.4% of the total population). The Creole population is mostly of West Indian (Antillean) origin, the descendants of indentured laborers brought mostly from Jamaica when the region was a British protectorate.

Primarily in the 19th century, Nicaragua saw several waves of immigration from European nations. In particular the northern cities of Estelí, Jinotega and Matagalpa have significant populations of fourth generation Germans.

The Garifuna, a people of mixed Carib, Angolan, Congolese and Arawak descent, numbered 3,271 in 2005 (0.1%). 112,253 people considered themselves "Mestizo de la Costa Caribe" (mestizo of the Caribbean coast). In addition to the inhabitants who declared themselves Indigenous or Ethnic community, 13,740 answered "Other". Another 47,473 responded "Not Sure" and an additional 19,460 responded "Ignore".

The Native American population, the unmixed descendants of the country's indigenous inhabitants, numbered 227,760 (4.4% of the total population) in 2005. Nicaragua's pre-Columbian consisted of many indigenous groups. In the western region, the Nicarao people were present along with other groups such as the Mangue and Subtiaba, all three being considered Mesoamerican peoples.

The central region and the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua were mainly inhabited by speakers of Misumalpan languages and some speakers of Chibchan languages. These groups include the Miskitos (120,817 people), Matagalpa (15,240 people), Ramas (4,185 people), Sumos (9,756 people) and Ulwa (698 people).

In the 19th century, the indigenous population was more demographically significant, but they have since largely been culturally assimilated into the mestizo majority. In the mid-1980s, the government divided the department of Zelaya – consisting of the eastern half of the country — into two autonomous regions and granted the black and indigenous people of this region limited self-rule within the Republic.{{clear}}

Relative to its overall population, Nicaragua has never experienced any large scale wave of immigrants. The total number of immigrants to Nicaragua, both originating from other Latin American countries and all other countries, never surpassed 1% of its total population prior to 1995. The 2005 census showed the foreign-born population at 1.2%, having risen 0.06% in 10 years. However, in the 19th century, Nicaragua received immigrants from Europe, who established many agricultural businesses such as coffee and sugar cane plantations, and also newspapers, hotels and banks.

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During the Nicaraguan Revolution and the Civil War, thousands of Nicaraguans left the country. After the 1990 Nicaraguan Elections some people returned, but many more emigrated during the rest of the decade. In 1998, the Hurricane Mitch killed almost 4,000 people in the country and destroyed much of the Nicaraguan economy, as a result thousands of Nicaraguans received the TPS enabling them to emigrate to the United States as "refugees".{{Cite web |url=http://www.immigrantinfo.org/kin/nicaragua.htm |title=Knowledge of Immigrant Nationalities of Santa Clara County (KIN) - Nicaragua |access-date=2007-05-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070520160930/http://www.immigrantinfo.org/kin/nicaragua.htm |archive-date=2007-05-20 |url-status=dead }} In recent years, many Nicaraguans had left the country to escape poverty and unemployment.

Nicaraguan emigration is a recent process. During the 1990–2004 period, more than 800,000 Nicaraguans left the country, compared to 100,000 during the 1970–1989 period.{{Cite web |url=http://www.laprensa.com.ni/archivo/2004/abril/14/economia/economia-20040414-02.html |title=La Prensa - Economia - los exiliados económicos |access-date=2009-08-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080604212859/http://www.laprensa.com.ni/archivo/2004/abril/14/economia/economia-20040414-02.html |archive-date=2008-06-04 |url-status=dead }} According to the World Bank, in 2005 there were 683,520 Nicaraguans living outside Nicaragua legally. If those who are undocumented are counted, some sources estimate as many as 1,500,000 Nicaraguans living abroad by the end of 2005.{{cite web|url=http://www.lajornadanet.com/diario/archivo/2006/junio/nicaraguenses_divididos_exterior_12.html|title=Nicaragüenses en el exterior divididos y rizo no renunciará|website=Lajornadanet.com|access-date=3 October 2017}} Nicaraguans are the third largest community of Central Americans living abroad, after Guatemalans and Salvadorans. Nicaragua is also the second country in Central America by percentage of population living abroad.

Following the return of Daniel Ortega to power in the 2006 Nicaraguan general election and subsequent democratic backsliding, especially during and after the violently suppressed 2018 Nicaraguan protests, a new wave of political emigration occurred.{{cite web | url=https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2018/08/01/costa-rica-abrumada-con-miles-de-nicaraguenses-que-buscan-asilo-escapando-de-la-violencia-en-nicaragua/ | title=Costa Rica, abrumada con miles de nicaragüenses que buscan asilo escapando de la violencia en Nicaragua | date=August 2018 }} Most political emigrants live in Costa Ricahttps://www.vozdeamerica.com/a/crisis-de-nicaragua-sacude-a-vecina-costa-rica-con-migraci%C3%B3n-masiva/4519899.html {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}} which has been a stable representative democracy since the end of the Costa Rican Civil War in 1948. Other target countries of political emigration include the United States and European countries, particularly Spain.

Remittances to Nicaragua represent about 15% of the country's GDP.{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nicaragua/|title=The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency|website=Cia.gov|access-date=3 October 2017}} In 2008 Nicaragua received close to one billion dollars in remittances; an increase from the $750,000,000 received in 2007, according to the World Bank{{cite web|url=http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPROSPECTS/Resources/334934-1199807908806/Nicaragua.pdf|title=Nicaragua|website=Siteresources.worldbank.org|access-date=3 October 2017}}

{{Table of languages spoken in Nicaragua}}

{{main|Languages of Nicaragua}}

{{Pie chart

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|caption = Languages in Nicaragua%

|label1 = Spanish

|value1 =95.3

|color1 = Red

|label2 = Miskito

|value2 =2.2

|label4 = Other

|value4= 2.5

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The official language of Nicaragua is Spanish, or Nicañol as Nicaraguan Spanish is sometimes referred to, and is spoken by the country's population. In Nicaragua the Voseo form is common, just as in other countries in Central and South America like Honduras, Argentina, and Uruguay. Spanish has many different dialects spoken throughout Latin America, Central American Spanish is the dialect spoken in Nicaragua.

;Phonology

Some other characteristics of Nicaraguan phonology include:

• /s/ at the end of a syllable or before a consonant is pronounced like [h].
• j (/x/), is aspirated; it is soft as the /h/ in English (e.g.: Yahoo).
• Intervocalic /b/, /d/, and /g/ show no sign of reduction, and are much more pronounced than in most dialects.
• In some regions the double /l/ is pronounced with a ( "Shhh") sound, Argentina has a similar accent.
• There is no confusion between /l/ and /r/, as in the Caribbean.
• /s/, /z/ and in some cases /c/ (as in cerrar) are pronounced as [s]
• /m/ at the end of a word tends to be pronounced as [n]

Nicaraguans on the Caribbean coast speak their indigenous languages and also English. The indigenous peoples of the east who use their original language tend to also speak Spanish and/or English, the main languages being Miskito language, Sumo language, and Rama language. Creole languages are also present in the Caribbean coast, Nicaragua Creole English has 30,000 speakers.

Nicaragua has many minority groups. Many ethnic groups in Nicaragua, such as the Chinese Nicaraguans and Palestinian Nicaraguans, have maintained their ancestral languages while also speaking Spanish and/or English. Minority languages include Chinese, Arabic, German, Italian among others. Nicaragua also has a total of 3 extinct languages.{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=NI|title=Nicaragua|website=Ethnologue.com|access-date=3 October 2017}}

Nicaraguan Sign Language is also of particular interest to linguists.

{{main|Religion in Nicaragua}}

Religion is a significant part of the culture of Nicaragua and forms part of the constitution. Religious freedom, which has been guaranteed since 1939, and religious tolerance is promoted by both the Nicaraguan government and the constitution. Bishops are expected to lend their authority to important state occasions, and their pronouncements on national issues are closely followed. They can also be called upon to mediate between contending parties at moments of political crisis.{{cite news | first=Gilbert | last=Dennis | title=Nicaragua: Religion | publisher=Library of Congress | url =http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+ni0040) | work =Country Studies | access-date = 2007-10-30}}

Although Nicaragua has no official religion it is nominally Roman Catholic. Practicing Roman Catholics are no longer the majority and are declining while evangelical Protestant groups and Mormons are growing rapidly have been growing since the 1990s. There are also strong Anglican and Moravian communities on the Caribbean coast.

Roman Catholicism came to Nicaragua in the 16th century with the Spanish conquest and remained, until 1939, the established faith. Protestantism and various Christian sects came to Nicaragua during the 19th century, but only during the 20th century have Protestant denominations gained large followings in the Caribbean Coast of the country. Popular religion revolves around the saints, who are perceived as intermediaries between human beings and God.

Most localities, from the capital of Managua to small rural communities, honor patron saints selected from the Roman Catholic calendar with annual fiestas. In many communities, a rich lore has grown up around the celebrations of patron saints, such as Managua's Saint Dominic (Santo Domingo), honored in August with two colorful, often riotous, day-long processions through the city. The high point of Nicaragua's religious calendar for the masses is neither Christmas nor Easter, but La Purísima, a week of festivities in early December dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, during which elaborate altars to the Virgin Mary are constructed in homes and workplaces.

{{portal|Nicaragua}}

• Culture of Nicaragua
• National Institute of Statistics and Census of Nicaragua

General:

• Ethnic groups in Central America

{{Reflist}}

{{CIA World Factbook}}

• {{Official website|http://www.inide.gob.ni/}} – Nicaragua National Institute of Information Development
• {{cite web|url=http://www.inide.gob.ni/estadisticas/Cifras%20municipales%20a%C3%B1o%202012%20INIDE.pdf|title=Población Total, estimada al 30 de Junio del año 2012|website=Inide.gob.ni|access-date=3 October 2017}}

{{Ethnic groups in Nicaragua}}

{{Nicaragua topics}}

{{North America topic|Demographics of}}

{{Population country lists}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Demographics Of Nicaragua}}

Category:Society of Nicaragua