Browse Honduras Daily Stories

The US reclassified Honduras to a lower 10% tariff rate instead of 12.5% and granted product exemptions, recognizing a Honduran executive decree banning imports of goods made with forced labor.

Honduras sold a 10-year sovereign bond for $815.67 million at a 6.4% interest rate, securing funds for debt management and the national budget while locking in interest rates more than 2 percentage points lower than a 2024 issuance.

Restaurants and comedores in the capital are selling tortillas for up to L2 (about $0.08) per unit, double the regulated maximum price of L1, while tortilla factories say they sell to retailers at L0.67, leaving consumer-protection authorities to enforce compliance.

Family remittances to Honduras reached $6.59 billion in the first half of 2026, a 11.9% jump from the same period last year and above the Central Bank's projected 3.5% growth; if the trend holds, annual remittances may exceed $13.5 billion.

More than 261,000 Honduran children in child labor earn an average of L4,279 (about $172) monthly—three times less than the L14,917 minimum wage—with rural children and those aged 5–9 earning the least.

Honduras has spent only L15.8 billion (about $635 million) of a L46.8 billion public investment budget in the first seven months of 2026, with roads leading at 54.9% execution while energy, transport, health, and education sectors lag well below 20%.

Family remittances to Honduras reached $11.9 billion in 2025, benefiting 3.1 million recipients and representing 30% of GDP, though growth rates are slowing compared to 2024.

The Asfura administration has sent a letter of intent to IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva as the current three-year, $822 million program nears completion, though officials say no decision has been made yet on whether to pursue a new agreement.

Honduras exported 6.66 million bags of coffee worth $2.11 billion from October 2025 through July 1, 2026—a 23% jump in volume and 12% gain in revenue over the same period a year earlier, driven by larger harvests despite lower global prices.

Honduras's monthly trade deficit with China has surged to $256 million as of April 2026, with Chinese imports dominating the market while Honduran exports remain minimal, a deepening asymmetry since Honduras shifted diplomatic ties from Taiwan to mainland China in 2023.

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 state power utility ENEE requires L35.4 billion (roughly $1.4 billion USD) in domestic debt from 2026 to 2029 to cover payments to private generators, amid losses exceeding 34% and a total debt burden now at L73.3 billion.

Honduras exported 29.4 million pounds of farmed shrimp worth $113.1 million in the first five months of 2026, up 10.5% in value from the same 2025 period, with 58% of exports being value-added processed product.

Honduras and the European Union signed a five-year, €6 million ($6.9 million) agreement to boost private-sector partnerships and sustainable investments, with aims to improve competitiveness, create jobs, and strengthen regulatory frameworks while emphasizing digital transformation and inclusion of women and youth.

Honduras received $4.13 billion in family remittances in the first four months of 2026, a 14.3% increase from the same period last year, as part of a $15.85 billion total across the Northern Triangle region.

The World Bank recommended splitting Honduras's state power utility ENEE into three separate units for generation, transmission, and distribution in 2007, but the government did not act; losses have since grown from 25% to 38% of revenue, and experts say the breakup is now urgent.

Kerosene prices in Tegucigalpa have dropped 20.12 lempiras per gallon over six weeks, falling from a historic high of 144.33 lempiras to 124.21 lempiras as summer demand in North America eases.

All major petroleum products will drop in price starting June 9, with kerosene falling 4.14 lempiras per gallon and regular gasoline declining 3.45 lempiras per gallon, as the Energy Ministry attributes the cuts to lower international oil prices following Middle East tensions.

Honduras's currency depreciated again on June 5, with the central bank's daily forex auction setting the dollar at L26.67 for purchase and L26.80 for sale, continuing a sustained slide blamed on IMF-backed exchange-rate policy adjustments.

Honduras's state power utility is auctioning L2.2 billion (about $88 million) in bonds at interest rates of 10.6% to 12.2% to pay down arrears exceeding L16.4 billion owed to private energy suppliers.

Honduras's banana shipments reached $122.3 million in the first three months of 2026, up 36% year-over-year, driven by higher volumes and expanded cultivation, the Central Bank reported.