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World Measure
The population almanac240 countries · 31,365 cities · UN WPP 2024
Capital city · Nicaragua · North America

Managua

Managua Department · Nicaragua
City population
973,087
#1
in Nicaragua
#1
in Managua Department
#571
worldwide
Managua
12.133, -86.250
City population
973,087
Within the city boundary, not a metro area
Rank in Nicaragua
#1
of 37 cities of 15,000+
World rank
#571
of 31,365 cities listed
Share of Nicaragua
13.9%
of the national population

About Managua

Ringed by smaller cities within 25 km, Managua holds 973,087 residents and accounts for 13.9% of Nicaragua's population as the national capital. The city sits at 108 m elevation in Managua Department, where it is the largest of six municipalities. Masaya, the nearest major city at 130,113 people, lies 24 km away.

This summary is AI-generated from the figures on this page. The figures themselves come from the sources cited beside each value.

Position in Nicaragua
#1of 37
LargestSmallest
Position in Managua Department
#1of 6
LargestSmallest

Key Facts

Country
Nicaragua
Region
Managua Department
Rank in region
#1of 6
Capital
National capital
Elevation
108 m
Approximate — modelled, not surveyed
Time zone
America/Managua
Coordinates
12.133, -86.250
Record updated
2026-01-02
Entry edited, not measured

City population, GeoNames. GeoNames publishes no year for its population figures, so “record updated” is when the entry was last edited — not the date the population was measured. Elevation is modelled from a digital elevation model rather than surveyed, so it is approximate.

Nearby Cities

All 37 in Nicaragua

Closest listed cities by great-circle distance from the city centre.

11KMCiudad Sandino50K people17KMEl Crucero16K people18KMTipitapa50K people22KMMateare61K people24KMMasaya130K people

Compared with the World's Largest Cities

City-proper population against the fifteen largest cities in the dataset.

  1. Shanghai24.9M
  2. Beijing19M
  3. Shenzhen17.5M
  4. Guangzhou16.1M
  5. Kinshasa16M
  6. Istanbul15.7M
  7. Lagos15.4M
  8. Ho Chi Minh City14M
  9. Chengdu13.6M
  10. Lahore13M
  11. Mumbai12.7M
  12. São Paulo12.4M
  13. Mexico City12.3M
  14. Karachi11.6M
  15. Tianjin11.1M
  16. Managua973K
City-proper figures only. Administrative boundaries differ between countries, so these are not directly comparable to metropolitan-area estimates.
Managua compared with the fifteen largest cities
NameCity population
Shanghai24.9M
Beijing19M
Shenzhen17.5M
Guangzhou16.1M
Kinshasa16M
Istanbul15.7M
Lagos15.4M
Ho Chi Minh City14M
Chengdu13.6M
Lahore13M
Mumbai12.7M
São Paulo12.4M
Mexico City12.3M
Karachi11.6M
Tianjin11.1M
Managua973K

Managua Population FAQ

What is the population of Managua?

Managua has a city population of 973,087. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.

Where is Managua?

Managua is in Managua Department, Nicaragua. Its coordinates are 12.133, -86.250.

How big is Managua compared with other cities in Nicaragua?

It is the 1st largest of the 37 cities of 15,000 or more listed in Nicaragua, holding 13.9% of the national population.

Explore

NicaraguaAll 37 citiesManagua Department6 cities in the regionCountry profileNicaragua population & indicators