Departments of Nicaragua: population and official figures
Nicaragua is divided into 17 departments. The largest by population is Managua with 1,612,321 people (23.2% of the total); the smallest is Rio San Juan with 144,531. Figures come from the Instituto Nacional de Informacion de Desarrollo (INIDE), Nicaragua's statistics office, mainly its Anuario Estadistico 2023, with population estimates for 2023 to 2025 (revision 2012) and department tables compiled from the health, education, social security, tax, tourism, transport and police agencies.
Who governs Nicaragua's departments?
Departments (15): No elected government; administrative units of central government. Deliver national services.
How local power works in Nicaragua · Level 5: devolved and state governments worldwide
All 17 departments, largest first
| # | Department | Population | Year | Growth (1 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Managua | 1,612,321 | 2025 | – |
| 2 | Matagalpa | 626,590 | 2025 | – |
| 3 | Atlantico Norte | 585,941 | 2025 | – |
| 4 | Jinotega | 515,630 | 2025 | – |
| 5 | Chinandega | 449,553 | 2025 | – |
| 6 | Atlantico Sur | 448,392 | 2025 | – |
| 7 | Leon | 430,567 | 2025 | – |
| 8 | Masaya | 421,132 | 2025 | – |
| 9 | Nueva Segovia | 290,419 | 2025 | – |
| 10 | Esteli | 235,138 | 2025 | – |
| 11 | Granada | 222,496 | 2025 | – |
| 12 | Carazo | 203,361 | 2025 | – |
| 13 | Chontales | 195,788 | 2025 | – |
| 14 | Boaco | 191,308 | 2025 | – |
| 15 | Rivas | 187,377 | 2025 | – |
| 16 | Madriz | 185,807 | 2025 | – |
| 17 | Rio San Juan | 144,531 | 2025 | – |
Cities: the largest cities of Nicaragua.
More on Nicaragua: official statistics · government and power · local power
Sources
- Instituto Nacional de Informacion de Desarrollo (INIDE): Anuario Estadistico 2023, tables II.1.4 to II.1.9: population estimates by department, 2023-2025 (revision 2012), area and density, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 47c54be057f9…)
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