Nicaragua's external debt hits $16.35 billion, 73.5% of GDP

Nicaragua's external debt stood at $16.35 billion by the end of the first quarter of 2026, representing 73.5% of the country's GDP, according to the Nicaraguan Central Bank. This total debt includes $8.92 billion from the public sector and $7.43 billion from the private sector. The overall external debt saw a modest increase of $107.5 million, or 0.7%, compared to the balance at the close of 2025. This rise was attributed to increases in both public and private external debt. The composition of the debt shows that 42.3% is owed to multilateral official creditors, 30.5% to bilateral official creditors, 3.1% to commercial banks, and 24.1% to suppliers and other creditors. Disbursements during the first quarter totaled $890.4 million, with the private sector receiving the majority (87.1%) and official creditors providing the remainder (12.9%). These funds were primarily directed towards electricity, gas and water (31.8%), trade (19.4%), and manufacturing (13.7%).