According to a 2010 study conducted by the Latin Business Chronicle, Nicaragua holds the highest index of foreign direct investment as a percentage of its gross domestic product for third consecutive year in Central America, reaching 7.9 percent in 2010, well above the regional average of 4 percent.

The 2011 Doing Business Report, published by the World Bank, ranks Nicaragua as the top location in Central America in starting a business, investor protection, and closing a business. The country also improved in the following categories: ease of doing business, registering property, paying taxes, trading across borders and enforcing contracts.

A study performed by CID Gallup Latin America, which measures crime rates and population threatened by criminal acts in Central America by considering factors such as the risk of leaving home and drug-trafficking in school systems, revealed Nicaragua as the country with the lowest incidence of crime in 2010 in the region.

Also, the Latin Business Chronicle, in its Latin America Globalization Index, which measures a country’s links with the world economy, ranked Nicaragua second most globalized country in Latin America, improving from its third position achieved in 2008 and 2009.

By 2010, Nicaragua was the 12th largest worldwide apparel supplier to the U.S. in volume, thus becoming an important player in the global textile and apparel industry. This same year, the U.S. Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, awarded Nicaragua US$2 million to support its International Labor Organization's (ILO) "Better Work" program, as the country was considered a gold standard in the enforcement of labor rights in the textile and apparel sector.

In terms of tourism, Nicaragua has also been attracting international attention as a leisure and retirement destination. In November 2010, U.S. News named Nicaragua one of the world’s top retirement havens for 2011 and in April 2011, this same publication named the country the top place to retire for under US$500 per month.  

These are only some of the international indicators in which Nicaragua has achieved important positions; moreover, the country aims to continue improving its business climate economic performance in order to further consolidate itself as an attractive investment destination in the region.