The Central Bank of Nicaragua released the Monthly Index of Economic Activity (IMAE) for January 2026, reporting a 6.4% increase versus January 2025 and an average annual growth rate of 5.3%. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the IMAE fell 0.2% from the prior month while rising 6.8% year on year. The trend-cycle series increased 0.4% compared with December 2025 and 6.5% compared with January 2025. The strongest expansions were recorded in mining and quarrying (16.3%), construction (14.6%), commerce (14.5%), hotels and restaurants (10.7%), financial intermediation and related services (6.2%) and livestock (6.0%), while declines were seen in public administration and defence (-3.1%), fishing and aquaculture (-1.4%) and forestry and timber extraction (-1.3%). The Central Bank linked mining growth mainly to higher metallic mining, livestock growth to greater cattle slaughter and live cattle exports, and agricultural gains to increased activity and output in coffee and sugar cane, while weaker fishing was attributed to lower catches including sea cucumber and weaker forestry to reduced log extraction.
Central Bank of Nicaragua 2026-03-31
Central Bank of Nicaragua publishes January 2026 Monthly Index of Economic Activity showing 6.4% annual growth
The Central Bank of Nicaragua published the Monthly Index of Economic Activity for January 2026, showing a 6.4% year-on-year increase and an average annual growth rate of 5.3%. Seasonally adjusted, the index declined 0.2% month on month but rose 6.8% year on year, with the trend-cycle series up 0.4% versus December 2025 and 6.5% versus January 2025. Strongest growth was in mining and quarrying, construction, commerce, hotels and restaurants, financial intermediation and livestock, while public administration and defence, fishing and aquaculture, and forestry contracted.