Nicaragua's Trade Deficit Plummets 84% in First Quarter of 2026

Nicaragua's trade deficit shrank by a remarkable 84% during the first three months of 2026, falling to $102.6 million from the same period in 2025. The Central Bank of Nicaragua reported that this significant improvement stems from exports growing at a faster pace than imports.

Total exports of goods and from free trade zones reached $2.768 billion by March, marking a 33.5% increase compared to early 2025. This surge was primarily fueled by a 61.5% rise in merchandise exports, which outweighed a 7.2% decrease in free zone exports. Key sectors driving this growth include mining, agriculture, and manufacturing.

In mining, gold exports saw a notable increase due to higher international prices and export volumes. The agricultural sector benefited from strong external sales of coffee, driven by better prices and volumes. The manufacturing industry also contributed, with increased beef exports boosted by price and volume gains.

Conversely, imports of goods and from free trade zones totaled $2.870 billion by March, a 5.7% increase over the previous year. This rise was mainly due to a 10.9% jump in merchandise imports, which offset a 13.2% decline in free zone imports. The increase in imports was linked to higher purchases of intermediate goods, capital goods, consumer goods, and petroleum products.

Nicaragua concluded 2025 with a trade deficit of $2.49 billion, 13.8% less than the previous year, representing 12.6% of the country's GDP.