Remittances

Honduras received $10.1 billion in family remittances in the first nine months of 2026, a 11.2% increase from the same period in 2025, with the funds representing over a quarter of the country's GDP and the primary source of foreign currency.

Honduras will send 2,000 workers to Spain in early 2027 for temporary agricultural jobs harvesting red berries in Huelva, part of a circular-migration agreement that officials say could generate around 20 million euros in remittances.

A UNAH economist warns that Honduras may receive over $12 billion in remittances in 2026, but that dependence on migrant money discourages investment in productive industries and exports.

A Central Bank survey of Hondurans abroad found that Cortés and Francisco Morazán departments receive the most remittances, with mothers as the primary recipients and household expenses accounting for half of all remittance use.

Migration expert Ilich Cornejo says family remittances to Honduras are rising and projects the year will end with inflows exceeding $12 billion.

A joint study by Mexico's Monterrey Tech and Sendas finds that Honduras's three decades of sluggish growth stem from poor infrastructure, weak rule of law, and violence deterring foreign and domestic investment, while remittances (30% of GDP) sustain consumption but fail to boost productive capacity.

A Central Bank survey found that Honduran households receiving remittances allocate the bulk to living expenses: food (50.3%), medical treatment (25.2%), and education (8.5%).

A Central Bank survey found that nearly two-thirds of respondents send remittances averaging $510.30 monthly, with senders reporting average monthly income of $4,065.80 and expenses of $2,107.60.

Honduras's international reserves reached $11.85 billion as of mid-September 2026, covering 6.7 months of imports — 1.1 months more than a year earlier, the Central Bank reported.

The village of Coyolito in Francisco Morazán has seen a significant exodus of women who have emigrated to Spain for domestic work and elder care, leaving behind men who now manage households and child-rearing while remittances transform the community's housing and economic conditions.

Honduras has received over $8 billion in family remittances so far in 2026, bolstering international reserves and macroeconomic stability, though an economist warns that dependence on these flows leaves the economy vulnerable to shifts in migration policy or conditions for Hondurans abroad.

Honduras's commercial banks are capturing more private-sector deposits, particularly savings accounts from households buoyed by incoming family remittances, the Central Bank reports.

El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras received $29.1 billion in remittances in the first seven months of 2026, a 7.1% increase from the same period in 2025, with Honduras seeing an 11.2% year-over-year gain.

Honduras is projected to receive $13 billion in remittances by year-end 2026—a 20% increase from 2025—but economists warn the country's heavy dependence on this income leaves over 300,000 families vulnerable if the flow declines.

Honduras's national university identified four structural failures—remittance dependence, labor informality, low-value exports, and fiscal weakness—and proposed six reform pillars to transform the economy and reduce poverty, which remains stuck at 60% of the population.

Former presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla called on President Asfura to negotiate with Canada and Spain to place Honduran workers who lost US temporary protected status, citing their skilled labor in construction and other sectors.

Foreign direct investment in Honduras represents less than 1% of GDP—about $223 million last quarter—while remittances account for roughly 27% of GDP, prompting business leaders to urge steps to attract capital and create formal jobs.

Economist Santiago Herrera warns that cancellation of the US Temporary Protected Status for Hondurans could reduce remittance inflows by up to $380 million, threatening households dependent on those transfers and straining the country's ability to reabsorb returned workers.

Cohep president Anabel Gallardo said legal and economic uncertainty is a major barrier to attracting investment and formal employment, citing losses in the power sector, flaws in part-time labor law, and the need for job creation to retain Hondurans rather than rely on migration and remittances.

About 670,000 Honduran households receive remittances from abroad, with 45% relying on them as their primary income source; 80% of remittance money goes to daily consumption rather than savings or investment, according to central bank data cited by a social-justice think tank.

Honduras is seeking a transition period from the U.S. before TPS holders must depart, with a delegation set to meet U.S. officials in early September, while at least 385 deportees arrived this week on three flights to San Pedro Sula.

About 31,000 Hondurans have been deported from the United States, Mexico, and Guatemala between January and August 2026, with 27,828 arriving by air from the US, as the government braces for potential mass returns following the US termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Hondurans.

Honduras's migration authority reported that more than 30,000 Hondurans have been deported from the US, Mexico, and Guatemala through August 20, 2026, with officials warning that the termination of Temporary Protected Status for 55,000 Hondurans could trigger mass deportations and threaten the $10 billion in annual remittances the country receives.

A UNAH economist warns that termination of Temporary Protected Status for approximately 50,000 Hondurans in the US could result in a gradual decline in remittances, potentially totaling $200 million annually if affected migrants lose formal employment and income capacity.

A Central Bank of Honduras survey finds that 85% of Hondurans sending remittances home live in the US, over half have been abroad at least 16 years, and they send an average of $506 monthly.

Economist Julio Raudales, former president of the Honduran Economists' College, notes that poverty in Honduras has remained at roughly 63% since 2001, questioning what progress has been made despite 25 years of Temporary Protected Status for Hondurans in the US.

Honduras's foreign minister said the end of Temporary Protected Status for over 55,000 Hondurans in the US does not mean all beneficiaries must return immediately, as individual cases will depend on family ties, residency length, and pending legal proceedings.

Honduras received $6.52 billion in remittances in the first six months of 2026, a 12.3% increase from the same period in 2025, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The Central Bank of Honduras forecasts full-year 2026 GDP growth of 3 to 4 percent, supported by agricultural exports and household consumption, though the outlook depends heavily on global oil and coffee prices and international trade tensions.

Remittances to Honduras reached $9 billion in the first eight months of 2026, now equal to 30% of GDP, while foreign direct investment dropped to $881 million in 2025 and poverty remained at 60.1%, creating economic vulnerability, according to analysis by Consulting HNL director Efraín Farach.