Volcano profile
6 active and potentially active volcanoes in Nicaragua — eruption history, elevation, VEI and population exposure.
Volcanoes
6
in database
Active
6
Erupted since 2000
5
Highest VEI
VEI 3
Highest peak
1,745m
San Cristóbal
People within 30km
3.2M
Yes — 6 active
Nicaragua has 6 catalogued volcanoes, 6 currently classified active, with about 3.2 million people living within 30 km of one. The volcano our model rates most likely to erupt in the next year is Momotombo (~15.6%).
Statistical estimates from the QuakeGlobe eruption-forecast model, not predictions. Always follow official volcano-observatory advisories.
Mexico and Central America • Caldera
Elevation
635m
Last Eruption
2024
Pop. 30km
1.5M
Pop. 100km
3.0M
📍 11.9840°, -86.1610°
Mexico and Central America • Stratovolcano
Elevation
1,297m
Last Eruption
2016
Pop. 30km
500K
Pop. 100km
2.0M
📍 12.4220°, -86.5390°
Mexico and Central America • Stratovolcano
Elevation
1,061m
Last Eruption
2024
Pop. 30km
300K
Pop. 100km
2.0M
📍 12.6020°, -86.8450°
Mexico and Central America • Cinder cone
Elevation
728m
Last Eruption
1999
Pop. 30km
400K
Pop. 100km
2.0M
📍 12.5060°, -86.7020°
Mexico and Central America • Stratovolcano
Elevation
1,700m
Last Eruption
2010
Pop. 30km
100K
Pop. 100km
1.0M
📍 11.5380°, -85.6220°
Mexico and Central America • Stratovolcano
Elevation
1,745m
Last Eruption
2020
Pop. 30km
400K
Pop. 100km
1.5M
📍 12.7020°, -87.0040°
View all 194 volcanoes in our database
FAQ
Nicaragua has 6 catalogued volcanoes in the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program dataset, 6 currently classified as active, and 5 have erupted since 2000. About 3.2 million people live within 30 km of one.
Our eruption-forecast model rates Momotombo the most likely to erupt in the next 12 months in Nicaragua, at roughly 15.6% (about one eruption every 6 years on average). This is a statistical estimate, not a prediction — follow official volcano-observatory advisories.
By population exposure — the number of people within 30 km weighted by eruption probability — the most dangerous volcano in Nicaragua is Masaya, with about 1,500,000 people within 30 km and a modeled 11.3% one-year eruption probability.
The most recent eruption in our dataset for Nicaragua was at Masaya in 2024.