The Central Bank of Nicaragua published the balance of payments results for the fourth quarter of 2024, reporting a current account surplus of USD 64.0 million in the quarter and USD 817.6 million for 2024. The release also reported net external borrowing flows of USD 123.6 million in the financial account in the quarter and USD 572.1 million over 2024. Goods exports totalled USD 1,614.2 million in the quarter and USD 6,836.6 million in 2024, while goods imports were USD 2,599.5 million in the quarter and USD 10,131.3 million for the year, leaving a goods trade deficit of USD 985.3 million in the quarter. For 2024, manufacturing accounted for 62.4% of goods exports, followed by mining (20.4%), agriculture and livestock (13.7%) and fishing and aquaculture (3.5%); on the import side, consumer goods represented 35.7%, inputs and raw materials 33.9%, capital goods 16.8%, and النفط and derivatives 13.6%. The services balance recorded a deficit of USD 45.6 million in the quarter and USD 7.9 million in 2024 (versus a USD 420.6 million surplus in 2023), with annual services exports of USD 1,298.1 million led by tourism (USD 510.9 million), free zone manufacturing services (USD 263.7 million) and telecommunications (USD 252.3 million), and services imports of USD 1,306.0 million driven by freight and passenger transport (USD 739.9 million) and Nicaraguan tourism spending abroad (USD 207.5 million). Net investment income was negative by USD 290.5 million in the quarter and USD 988.9 million in 2024, reflecting income of USD 377.3 million (including USD 244.4 million on the Central Bank’s reserve assets) against outflows of USD 1,366.2 million linked mainly to foreign investment income earned in Nicaragua (USD 993.6 million) and external debt interest payments (USD 370.9 million); remittances reached USD 1,385.4 million in the quarter and USD 5,243.1 million in 2024.

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