Fosdeh

Honduras's total public debt has exceeded $18 billion, with external debt alone over $11.5 billion, and Fosdeh warns that debt service payments of $3 billion planned for 2027 will consume resources needed for health, education, and other sectors.

A Fosdeh economist proposed restructuring Honduras's fuel-subsidy program and reviewing public spending to address rising fuel prices, noting that increasing the subsidy from 65% to 70% has failed to keep prices down, while the government explores targeting diesel support to transportation and agriculture.

A Fosdeh economist warns that roughly 37 billion lempiras in unaccounted money emitted by the previous administration could stoke inflation, though he notes that inflation stems from multiple causes including import dependence, fuel costs, and climate-driven agricultural shortfalls.

A Fosdeh economist attributes a recent increase in remittances to Honduras partly to Hondurans in the United States sending money home due to deportation concerns, while others continue migrating and supporting their families abroad.

A JP Morgan Chase report ranks Honduras among Latin America's lowest-risk countries for investment, but economists say Honduras must improve public services and compete for capital to capitalize on the rating.

An analyst with Honduras's external-debt and development forum says poverty levels have remained flat over two decades despite spending more than 800 billion lempiras (roughly $32 billion) in anti-poverty programs, raising questions about where the money went.

Jorge Hernández of the Social Forum on External Debt and Development says the International Monetary Fund has agreed to decouple discussion of Honduras's beneficial-ownership law from other conditions, a shift from prior administrations that tied its approval to broader negotiations.

FOSDEH economist Mario Palma says Honduras's public debt has risen to $18.454 billion this year, up from previous levels.