On August 5, 2004, the United States signed the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) with five Central American countries (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua) and the Dominican Republic (the Parties). Under the Agreement, the Parties significantly liberalized trade in goods and services.
The CAFTA-DR also includes important disciplines relating to: customs administration and trade facilitation, technical barriers to trade, government procurement, investment, telecommunications, electronic commerce, intellectual property rights, transparency and labor and environmental protection.
The Agreement entered into force for the United States and El Salvador on March 1, 2006; for Honduras and Nicaragua on Aril 1 2006; and for Guatemala on July 1, 2006. The CAFTA-DR entered into force for the Dominican Republic on March 1, 2007, and for Costa Rica on January 1, 2009.
Nicaragua Trade Summary
U.S. goods and services trade with Nicaragua totaled an estimated $8.7 billion in 2024, up 6.0 percent ($486.0 million) from 2023.
U.S. goods trade (exports plus imports) with Nicaragua totaled an estimated $7.4 billion in 2025. U.S. goods exports to Nicaragua in 2025 were $2.4 billion, down 11.3 percent ($311.5 million) from 2024. U.S. goods imports from Nicaragua totaled $5.0 billion in 2025, up 7.4 percent ($340.4 million) from 2024. The U.S. goods trade deficit with Nicaragua was $2.5 billion in 2025, a 34.8 percent increase ($651.9 million) over 2024.
U.S. total services trade (exports plus imports) with Nicaragua totaled an estimated $1.3 billion in 2024. U.S. services exports to Nicaragua in 2024 were $728 million, up 23.2 percent ($137 million) from 2023. U.S. services imports from Nicaragua in 2024 were $555 million, up 7.6 percent ($39 million) from 2023. The U.S. services trade surplus with Nicaragua was $173 million in 2024, a 130.7 percent increase ($98 million) over 2023.
