Honduras Economy News

Honduras's Energy Ministry lowered prices for gasoline, kerosene, diesel, and vehicle liquefied petroleum gas effective June 23, while maintaining a temporary subsidy on domestic cooking gas to protect household budgets amid volatile global crude markets.

A CEPAL report finds Guatemala and Honduras have the highest rates of multidimensional poverty in Central America—measuring deprivation in health, education, housing, employment, and services—with Honduras at 12% and Guatemala at 28.9%, and both countries showing severe housing overcrowding above 40%.

Leonardo Deras, a commissioner at electricity regulator CREE, warned that state utility ENEE is losing 1.3 billion lempiras (about $52 million) a month and that, without action, losses could reach 150,000 million lempiras (about $6 billion) in coming years.

Honduras is preparing an international tender for 1,500 megawatts of firm capacity using liquefied natural gas, aiming to diversify its energy matrix and add capacity needed to meet growing demand over the next decade.

Honduras's new gasoline and diesel pricing structure will take effect at all stations nationwide at 6:00 a.m. on Monday.

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.

Finance Vice Minister Lilian Rivera said the IMF board will review Honduras's macroeconomic performance on June 29 to decide whether to approve a $245 million disbursement, as the country also prepares for an international credit-rating agency visit.

Honduras's National Congress unanimously passed a financial relief law allowing farmers to restructure debts over 15 years and receive government subsidies covering up to 80 percent of agricultural insurance premiums to help the sector weather climate shocks and rising production costs.

Edgar Aguilar, an energy analyst at the ASJ (Foundation for the Study of Applied Law), says the National Congress's failure to advance an energy reform bill poses a direct fiscal risk to Honduras as the state utility ENEE continues to post multimillion-lempira losses.

The Oil Administrator Commission says Honduras could see further fuel-price cuts in the next two to three weeks if international market conditions hold, citing reduced Middle East tensions and progress on Iran-related peace accords.

A 2025 gender-gap report from Honduras's banking regulator shows women hold more savings accounts and certificates of deposit while men predominate in check and basic accounts, revealing distinct financial-product patterns by gender.

Honduras's merchandise exports reached $3.61 billion in the first three months of 2026, a 11.5% year-on-year increase driven by coffee, apparel manufacturing, bananas, and palm oil, according to an Inter-American Development Bank report.

The Central Bank of Honduras auctioned $82.2 million in its June 19 currency sale, setting an average exchange rate of L26.7135 per dollar for June 20–22.

Honduras's net foreign reserves grew by $1.18 billion from late January to mid-June 2026, while import coverage remained stable at 6.6 months of goods and services.

A UNAH food-security monitor reports sustained increases in basic food costs—beef, pork, eggs, oil, and beans up 1–10 lempiras per item in early June—outpacing minimum-wage gains and pushing an estimated 2.2 million Hondurans toward food insecurity by year-end.

Honduras's tax authority (SAR) released a how-to guide for generating FYDUCA payment slips online, with compliance mandatory starting July 20, 2026.

Honduras signed a $100 million Inter-American Development Bank loan to strengthen fiscal management, revenue collection efficiency, and budget transparency, with support from the IMF, World Bank, and CAF.

The Energy Ministry announced price cuts for gasoline, diesel, and kerosene effective June 22, with the largest reductions in diesel and kerosene, while domestic liquefied petroleum gas remains subsidized by the government.

Economist Guillermo Matamoros says the Central Bank of Honduras must implement mitigation measures as inflation indicators suggest it will exceed the bank's target range, though May data shows a slowdown from April.

The government approved importing 60,000 metric tons of rice from South America with zero tariffs through December 31, bypassing the 45% duty normally applied to countries without free-trade agreements, drawing criticism from domestic rice producers who say they lack guaranteed prices and a coherent agricultural plan.

At a job fair in Tegucigalpa, older workers reported facing age discrimination despite their experience and credentials, while hundreds of applicants across all demographics struggle with high unemployment and a shortage of formal-sector positions.

The Central Bank of Honduras sold $79.9 million in its June 18 foreign-exchange auction, setting the average exchange rate at L26.7074 per dollar for June 19.

The Central Bank of Honduras auctioned $94.6 million in its June 17 foreign-exchange tender, setting the weighted average exchange rate at L26.7040 per dollar for June 18.

An ASJ report finds that nearly 800,000 Honduran households skip at least one meal because of high living costs, with food cited as the hardest expense to cover by 41% of the population, even as macroeconomic indicators show moderate growth.

International oil prices have fallen to around $82 per barrel, but energy sector representatives warn fuel prices in Honduras could take four to six months to reflect the decline due to exchange rates, import costs, and other market factors.

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.

Former Central American Bank president Dante Mossi says Honduras has approved no projects from a $1.6 billion (43 billion lempira) development portfolio offered by the regional bank this year, contrasting with Nicaragua and El Salvador's active borrowing for infrastructure projects.

A banking and finance expert says reforming Honduras's electric system could help recover over 16 billion lempiras ($640 million) in losses and reduce the fiscal burden on the national power company, which has weakened since 1990.

Beef prices in Honduras have climbed 4 lempiras over two weeks due to livestock shortages caused by drought and reduced pastureland, with vendors absorbing much of the increase to hold retail prices at roughly 100 lempiras per pound (about $4).

The Central Bank of Honduras auctioned $98.3 million in its foreign-exchange tender on June 16, establishing a weighted-average exchange rate of L26.6946 per dollar for June 17.