2020 Edition
factbook.json (GitHub)
Introduction
Background
Once part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent nation in 1821. After two and a half decades of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to power in 1982. During the 1980s, Honduras proved a haven for anti-Sandinista contras fighting the Marxist Nicaraguan Government and an ally to Salvadoran Government forces fighting leftist guerrillas. Hurricane Mitch devastated the country in 1998, killing about 5,600 people and causing approximately $2 billion in damage. Since then, the economy has slowly rebounded, despite COVID-19 and severe storm-related setbacks in 2020 and 2021.
Geography
Area
- land
- 111,890 sq km
- total
- 112,090 sq km
- water
- 200 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly larger than Tennessee
Climate
subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains
Coastline
823 km (Caribbean Sea 669 km; Gulf of Fonseca 163 km)
Elevation
- highest point
- Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m
- lowest point
- Caribbean Sea 0 m
- mean elevation
- 684 m
Geographic coordinates
15 00 N, 86 30 W
Geography - note
has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast
Irrigated land
900 sq km (2012)
Land boundaries
- border countries
- Guatemala 244 km; El Salvador 391 km; Nicaragua 940 km
- total
- 1,575 km
Land use
- agricultural land
- 32% (2023 est.)
- agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 9.1% (2023 est.)
- agricultural land: permanent crops
- permanent crops: 5.4% (2023 est.)
- agricultural land: permanent pasture
- permanent pasture: 17.5% (2023 est.)
- forest
- 53.3% (2023 est.)
- other
- 14.8% (2023 est.)
Location
Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (North Pacific Ocean), between El Salvador and Nicaragua
Major lakes (area sq km)
- salt water lake(s)
- Laguna de Caratasca - 1,110 sq km
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims
- contiguous zone
- 24 nm
- continental shelf
- natural extension of territory or to 200 nm
- exclusive economic zone
- 200 nm
- territorial sea
- 12 nm
Natural hazards
frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast
Natural resources
timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower
Population distribution
most residents live in the mountainous western half of the country; Honduras is the only Central American nation with an urban population that is distributed between two large centers, the capital of Tegucigalpa and the city of San Pedro Sula; the Rio Ulua valley in the north is the only densely populated lowland area
Terrain
mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains
People and Society
Age structure
- 0-14 years
- 28.7% (male 1,378,026/female 1,353,238)
- 15-64 years
- 65.7% (male 2,980,393/female 3,282,159)
- 65 years and over
- 5.6% (2024 est.) (male 232,828/female 302,544)
Alcohol consumption per capita
- beer
- 1.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- other alcohols
- 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- spirits
- 1.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- total
- 2.73 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- wine
- 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Birth rate
19.7 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Child marriage
- men married by age 18
- 10% (2019)
- women married by age 15
- 9.2% (2019)
- women married by age 18
- 34% (2019)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
7.1% (2019 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
54.4% (2019 est.)
Death rate
4.9 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Dependency ratios
- elderly dependency ratio
- 8.5 (2024 est.)
- potential support ratio
- 11.7 (2024 est.)
- total dependency ratio
- 52.2 (2024 est.)
- youth dependency ratio
- 43.6 (2024 est.)
Drinking water source
- improved: rural
- rural: 90.8% of population (2022 est.)
- improved: total
- total: 95.8% of population (2022 est.)
- improved: urban
- urban: 99.2% of population (2022 est.)
- unimproved: rural
- rural: 9.2% of population (2022 est.)
- unimproved: total
- total: 4.2% of population (2022 est.)
- unimproved: urban
- urban: 0.8% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
- Education expenditure (% GDP)
- 4.5% of GDP (2023 est.)
- Education expenditure (% national budget)
- 23.2% national budget (2018 est.)
Ethnic groups
Mestizo (mixed Indigenous and European) 90%, Indigenous 7%, African descent 2%, White 1%
Gross reproduction rate
1.13 (2025 est.)
Health expenditure
- Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
- 9.2% of GDP (2021)
- Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
- 14.2% of national budget (2022 est.)
Hospital bed density
0.7 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Infant mortality rate
- female
- 13.2 deaths/1,000 live births
- male
- 17.5 deaths/1,000 live births
- total
- 15.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
Languages
- Languages
- Spanish (official), Amerindian dialects
- major-language sample(s)
- La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Life expectancy at birth
- female
- 76.8 years
- male
- 69.6 years
- total population
- 73.1 years (2024 est.)
Literacy
- female
- 88.8% (2024 est.)
- male
- 87.6% (2024 est.)
- total population
- 88.2% (2024 est.)
Major urban areas - population
1.568 million TEGUCIGALPA (capital), 982,000 San Pedro Sula (2023)
Maternal mortality ratio
47 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Median age
- female
- 26.6 years
- male
- 24.8 years
- total
- 26.1 years (2025 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
20.3 years (2011/12 est.)
Nationality
- adjective
- Honduran
- noun
- Honduran(s)
Net migration rate
-2.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
21.4% (2016)
Physician density
0.49 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
Population
- female
- 4,937,941
- male
- 4,591,247
- total
- 9,529,188 (2024 est.)
Population growth rate
1.28% (2025 est.)
Religions
Evangelical 55%, Roman Catholic 33.4%, none 10.1%, unspecified 1.5% (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
- improved: rural
- rural: 88.1% of population (2022 est.)
- improved: total
- total: 93.2% of population (2022 est.)
- improved: urban
- urban: 96.6% of population (2022 est.)
- unimproved: rural
- rural: 11.9% of population (2022 est.)
- unimproved: total
- total: 6.8% of population (2022 est.)
- unimproved: urban
- urban: 3.4% of population (2022 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
- female
- 10 years (2019 est.)
- male
- 9 years (2019 est.)
- total
- 10 years (2019 est.)
Sex ratio
- 0-14 years
- 1.02 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years
- 0.91 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over
- 0.77 male(s)/female
- at birth
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- total population
- 0.93 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Tobacco use
- female
- 1.6% (2025 est.)
- male
- 22.2% (2025 est.)
- total
- 11.9% (2025 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.29 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Urbanization
- rate of urbanization
- 2.48% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
- urban population
- 60.2% of total population (2023)
Government
Administrative divisions
18 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Atlántida, Choluteca, Colon, Comayagua, Copan, Cortes, El Paraiso, Francisco Morazán, Gracias a Dios, Intibucá, Islas de la Bahia, La Paz, Lempira, Ocotepeque, Olancho, Santa Barbara, Valle, Yoro
Capital
- etymology
- the name is a Nahuatl word meaning "silver mountain," probably referring to nearby silver mines
- geographic coordinates
- 14 06 N, 87 13 W
- name
- Tegucigalpa
- time difference
- UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Citizenship
- citizenship by birth
- yes
- citizenship by descent only
- yes
- dual citizenship recognized
- yes
- residency requirement for naturalization
- 1 to 3 years
Constitution
- amendment process
- proposed by the National Congress with at least two-thirds majority vote of the membership; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of Congress in its next annual session; constitutional articles, such as the form of government, national sovereignty, the presidential term, and the procedure for amending the constitution, cannot be amended
- history
- several previous; latest approved 11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982
Country name
- conventional long form
- Republic of Honduras
- conventional short form
- Honduras
- etymology
- the name means "depths" in Spanish and refers to the deep anchorage in the northern Bay of Trujillo
- local long form
- República de Honduras
- local short form
- Honduras
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission
- Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Colleen Anne HOEY (since 23 June 2025)
- email address and website
- usahonduras@state.gov https://hn.usembassy.gov/
- embassy
- Avenida La Paz, Tegucigalpa M.D.C.
- FAX
- [504] 2236-9037
- mailing address
- 3480 Tegucigalpa Place, Washington DC 20521-3480
- telephone
- [504] 2236-9320,
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chancery
- 1220 19th Street NW, Suite #320, Washington, DC 20036
- chief of mission
- Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Leonardo VALENZUELA NEDA (since 10 June 2025)
- consulate(s) general
- Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte (NC), Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, McAllen (TX), Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Seattle
- email address and website
- info@wadchn.com https://hondurasembusa.org/
- FAX
- [1] (202) 966-9751
- telephone
- [1] (202) 966-7702
Executive branch
- cabinet
- Cabinet appointed by president
- chief of state
- President Iris Xiomara CASTRO de Zelaya (since 27 January 2022)
- election results
- 2025: Nasry Juan ASFURA Zablah elected president; percent of vote - Nasry Juan ASFURA Zablah (PNH) 40.3%, Salvador NASRALLA (PL) 39.5%, Rixi Ramona MONCADA Godoy (LIBRE) 19.2%; note - ASFURA will take office 27 January 2026 2021: Iris Xiomara CASTRO de Zelaya elected president; percent of vote - Iris Xiomara CASTRO de Zelaya (LIBRE) 51.1%, Nasry Juan ASFURA Zablah (PNH) 36.9%, Yani Benjamin ROSENTHAL Hidalgo (PL) 10%, other 2% 2017: Juan Orlando HERNANDEZ Alvarado reelected president; percent of vote - Juan Orlando HERNANDEZ Alvarado (PNH) 43%, Salvador NASRALLA (Alianza de Oposicion contra la Dictadura) 41.4%, Luis Orlando ZELAYA Medrano (PL) 14.7%, other 0.9%
- election/appointment process
- president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a 4-year term
- expected date of next election
- 25 November 2029
- head of government
- President Iris Xiomara CASTRO de Zelaya (since 27 January 2022)
- most recent election date
- 30 November 2025
Flag
description: three equal horizontal bands of cerulean blue (top), white, and cerulean blue, with five five-pointed cerulean stars arranged in an "X" pattern and centered in the white band meaning: the stars represent the members of the former Federal Republic of Central America: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua; blue stands for the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, and white for the land and the people's peace and prosperity
Government type
presidential republic
Independence
15 September 1821 (from Spain)
International law organization participation
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
International organization participation
ACS, BCIE, CACM, CD, CELAC, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC (suspended), IOM, IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, Petrocaribe, SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNHRC, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO (suspended), WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Judicial branch
- highest court(s)
- Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (15 principal judges, including the court president, and 6 alternates; court organized into civil, criminal, constitutional, and labor chambers)
- judge selection and term of office
- court president elected by his peers; judges elected by the National Congress from candidates proposed by the Nominating Board, a diverse 7-member group of judicial officials and other government and non-government officials nominated by each of their organizations; judges elected by Congress for renewable, 7-year terms
- subordinate courts
- courts of appeal; courts of first instance; justices of the peace
Legal system
civil law system
Legislative branch
- electoral system
- proportional representation
- expected date of next election
- November 2029
- legislative structure
- unicameral
- legislature name
- National Congress (Congreso Nacional)
- most recent election date
- 11/30/2025
- number of seats
- 128 (all directly elected)
- parties elected and seats per party
- Liberty and Refoundation Party (LIBRE) (50); National Party (PN) (44); Liberal Party (PL) (22); Salvador de Honduras Party (PSH) (10); Other (2)
- percentage of women in chamber
- 27.3%
- scope of elections
- full renewal
- term in office
- 4 years
National anthem(s)
- history
- adopted 1915; the anthem's seven verses chronicle Honduran history; on official occasions, only the chorus and last verse are sung
- lyrics/music
- Augusto Constancio COELLO/Carlos HARTLING
- title
- "Himno Nacional de Honduras" (National Anthem of Honduras)
National color(s)
blue, white
National heritage
- selected World Heritage Site locales
- Maya Site of Copan (c); Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve (n)
- total World Heritage Sites
- 2 (1 cultural, 1 natural)
National holiday
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
National symbol(s)
scarlet macaw, white-tailed deer
Political parties
Anti-Corruption Party or PAC Christian Democratic Party or DC Democratic Liberation of Honduras or Liderh Democratic Unification Party or UD The Front or El Frente Honduran Patriotic Alliance or AP Innovation and Unity Party or PINU Liberal Party or PL Liberty and Refoundation Party or LIBRE National Party of Honduras or PNH New Route or NR Opposition Alliance against the Dictatorship or Alianza de Oposicion contra la Dictadura (electoral coalition) Savior Party of Honduras or PSH Vamos or Let’s Go We Are All Honduras (Todos Somos Honduras) or TSH
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Economy
Agricultural products
sugarcane, oil palm fruit, maize, milk, bananas, coffee, cantaloupes/melons, oranges, chicken, beans (2023)
Average household expenditures
- on alcohol and tobacco
- 4.9% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
- on food
- 31.5% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
Budget
- expenditures
- $6.391 billion (2020 est.)
- revenues
- $5.333 billion (2020 est.)
Current account balance
- Current account balance 2022
- -$2.157 billion (2022 est.)
- Current account balance 2023
- -$1.368 billion (2023 est.)
- Current account balance 2024
- -$1.711 billion (2024 est.)
Debt - external
- Debt - external 2023
- $7.785 billion (2023 est.)
Economic overview
second-fastest-growing Central American economy; COVID-19 and two hurricanes crippled activity; high poverty and inequality; declining-but-still-high violent crime disruption; systemic corruption; coffee and banana exporter; enormous remittances
Exchange rates
- Currency
- lempiras (HNL) per US dollar -
- Exchange rates 2020
- 24.582 (2020 est.)
- Exchange rates 2021
- 24.017 (2021 est.)
- Exchange rates 2022
- 24.486 (2022 est.)
- Exchange rates 2023
- 24.602 (2023 est.)
- Exchange rates 2024
- 24.799 (2024 est.)
Exports
- Exports 2022
- $9.51 billion (2022 est.)
- Exports 2023
- $9.805 billion (2023 est.)
- Exports 2024
- $9.352 billion (2024 est.)
Exports - commodities
garments, coffee, insulated wire, palm oil, shellfish (2023)
Exports - partners
USA 49%, Nicaragua 8%, El Salvador 7%, Guatemala 5%, Mexico 5% (2023)
GDP - composition, by end use
- exports of goods and services
- 33.5% (2024 est.)
- government consumption
- 15.5% (2024 est.)
- household consumption
- 86% (2024 est.)
- imports of goods and services
- -57.6% (2024 est.)
- investment in fixed capital
- 23.9% (2024 est.)
- investment in inventories
- -1.4% (2024 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
- agriculture
- 11.2% (2024 est.)
- industry
- 26.1% (2024 est.)
- services
- 58.4% (2024 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$37.094 billion (2024 est.)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
- Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2023
- 46.8 (2023 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
- highest 10%
- 33% (2023 est.)
- lowest 10%
- 1.1% (2023 est.)
Imports
- Imports 2022
- $18.101 billion (2022 est.)
- Imports 2023
- $17.926 billion (2023 est.)
- Imports 2024
- $18.235 billion (2024 est.)
Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, cotton yarn, garments, trucks, packaged medicine (2023)
Imports - partners
USA 36%, China 14%, Guatemala 8%, Mexico 6%, El Salvador 6% (2023)
Industrial production growth rate
0.8% (2024 est.)
Industries
sugar processing, coffee, woven and knit apparel, wood products, cigars
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022
- 9.1% (2022 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023
- 6.7% (2023 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024
- 4.6% (2024 est.)
Labor force
4.296 million (2024 est.)
Population below poverty line
64.1% (2023 est.)
Public debt
- Public debt 2016
- 38.5% of GDP (2016 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022
- $66.473 billion (2022 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023
- $68.85 billion (2023 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024
- $71.297 billion (2024 est.)
Real GDP growth rate
- Real GDP growth rate 2022
- 4.1% (2022 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2023
- 3.6% (2023 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2024
- 3.6% (2024 est.)
Real GDP per capita
- Real GDP per capita 2022
- $6,400 (2022 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2023
- $6,500 (2023 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2024
- $6,600 (2024 est.)
Remittances
- Remittances 2022
- 27% of GDP (2022 est.)
- Remittances 2023
- 26.1% of GDP (2023 est.)
- Remittances 2024
- 25.7% of GDP (2024 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022
- $8.41 billion (2022 est.)
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023
- $7.543 billion (2023 est.)
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2024
- $8.036 billion (2024 est.)
Taxes and other revenues
15.1% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
Unemployment rate
- Unemployment rate 2022
- 8.8% (2022 est.)
- Unemployment rate 2023
- 6.1% (2023 est.)
- Unemployment rate 2024
- 6.1% (2024 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
- female
- 15.9% (2024 est.)
- male
- 7.9% (2024 est.)
- total
- 10.5% (2024 est.)
Energy
Coal
- consumption
- 144,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
- imports
- 148,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Electricity
- consumption
- 8.303 billion kWh (2023 est.)
- exports
- 4 million kWh (2023 est.)
- imports
- 214.601 million kWh (2023 est.)
- installed generating capacity
- 3.334 million kW (2023 est.)
- transmission/distribution losses
- 3.617 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Electricity access
- electrification - rural areas
- 86.8%
- electrification - total population
- 94.4% (2022 est.)
- electrification - urban areas
- 100%
Electricity generation sources
- biomass and waste
- 10.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- fossil fuels
- 38.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- geothermal
- 3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- hydroelectricity
- 33.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- solar
- 8.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- wind
- 5.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Energy consumption per capita
- Total energy consumption per capita 2023
- 16.642 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
Petroleum
- refined petroleum consumption
- 71,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
- total petroleum production
- 20 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Communications
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
- subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 4 (2023 est.)
- total
- 476,000 (2023 est.)
Broadcast media
multiple privately owned terrestrial TV networks, supplemented by multiple cable TV networks; Radio Honduras is the state-owned radio network; roughly 300 privately owned radio stations (2019)
Internet country code
.hn
Internet users
- percent of population
- 58% (2023 est.)
Telephones - fixed lines
- subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 4 (2023 est.)
- total subscriptions
- 444,000 (2023 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular
- subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 76 (2022 est.)
- total subscriptions
- 7.92 million (2023 est.)
Transportation
Airports
129 (2025)
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
HR
Heliports
6 (2025)
Merchant marine
- by type
- general cargo 233, oil tanker 82, other 174
- total
- 489 (2023)
Ports
- key ports
- Coxen Hole, La Ceiba, Puerto Castilla, Puerto Cortes, Puerto de Hencan, Puerto Este, Tela, Trujillo
- large
- 0
- medium
- 0
- ports with oil terminals
- 3
- small
- 1
- total ports
- 8 (2024)
- very small
- 7
Railways
- narrow gauge
- 164 km (2014) 1.067-m gauge
- total
- 699 km (2014)
Military and Security
Military - note
the Honduran Armed Forces (FFAA) are responsible for maintaining the country’s territory, defending its sovereignty, providing emergency/humanitarian assistance, and supporting the National Police (PNH); the FFAA’s primary focus is internal and border security, and since 2011 a considerable portion of it has been deployed to support the PNH in combating narcotics trafficking and organized crime; military support to domestic security included the creation of the Military Police of Public Order (PMOP) in 2013 to provide security in areas controlled by street gangs to combat crime and make arrests; the FFAA, including the PMOP, cooperates with the militaries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua on border security the FFAA has received military equipment, training, humanitarian, and technical assistance from the US military; the US military maintains a joint service task force co-located with the FFAA at Soto Cano Air Base (2025)
Military and security forces
Honduran Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas de Honduras, FFAA): Army (Ejercito), Honduran Naval Force (Fuerza Naval Hondurena, FNH; includes marines), Honduran Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Hondurena, FAH), Honduran Military Police of Public Order (Policía Militar del Orden Público or PMOP) (2025)
Military and security service personnel strengths
approximately 15,000 active Honduran Armed Forces (2025)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the FFAA's inventory is comprised of a mix of older or secondhand and limited amounts of more modern equipment; its main supplier is the US; other suppliers include Colombia, Israel, the Netherlands, and the UK (2025)
Military expenditures
- Military Expenditures 2020
- 1.6% of GDP (2020 est.)
- Military Expenditures 2021
- 1.5% of GDP (2021 est.)
- Military Expenditures 2022
- 1.4% of GDP (2022 est.)
- Military Expenditures 2023
- 1.5% of GDP (2023 est.)
- Military Expenditures 2024
- 1.5% of GDP (2024 est.)
Military service age and obligation
18-22 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; 24–36 month service obligation; no conscription (2026)
Transnational Issues
Illicit drugs
- USG identification
- major illicit drug-producing and/or drug-transit country major precursor-chemical producer (2025)
Refugees and internally displaced persons
- IDPs
- 100,637 (2024 est.)
- refugees
- 341 (2024 est.)
Terrorism
Terrorist group(s)
La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13)
Environment
Carbon dioxide emissions
- from coal and metallurgical coke
- 324,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- from petroleum and other liquids
- 10.21 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- total emissions
- 10.534 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Environmental issues
deforestation from logging and agricultural clearing; land degradation and soil erosion from overdevelopment and improper land use practices; mining activities polluting Lago de Yojoa (the country's largest source of fresh water) and other rivers and streams
International environmental agreements
- party to
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands
- signed, but not ratified
- none of the selected agreements
Particulate matter emissions
19.1 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Total renewable water resources
92.164 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Total water withdrawal
- agricultural
- 1.178 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
- industrial
- 114 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
- municipal
- 315 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
Waste and recycling
- municipal solid waste generated annually
- 2.162 million tons (2024 est.)
- percent of municipal solid waste recycled
- 10.3% (2022 est.)