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. The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which killed about 5,600 people and caused approximately $2 billion in damage. Since then, the economy has slowly rebounded.

Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 86 30 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 112,090 km²
Land: 111,890 km²
Water: 200 km²
Rank: 103
Comparative: slightly larger than Tennessee

Land boundaries
Total: 1575 km
Border countries: (3) Guatemala 244 km; , El Salvador 391 km; , Nicaragua 940 km

Coastline: 823 km
Note: (Caribbean Sea 669 km Gulf of Fonseca 163 km)

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm

Climate: subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains

Terrain: mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains

Elevation
Mean elevation: 684 m
Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m

Natural resources: timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower

Land use
Agricultural land: 28.8% (2011 est.)
Forest: 45.3% (2011 est.)
Other: 25.9% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 900 km² (2012)

Natural hazards: frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast

Geography
Note: has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast

Population
Distribution: most residents live in the mountainous western half of the country; unlike other Central American nations, Honduras is the only one 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: 9,235,340 (July 2020 est.)
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
Rank: 95
Growth rate: 1.27% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 84
Below poverty line: 29.6% (2014)

Nationality
Noun: Honduran(s)
Adjective: Honduran

Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, Black 2%, White 1%

Languages: Spanish (official), Amerindian dialects

Religions: Roman Catholic 46%, Protestant 41%, atheist 1%, other 2%, none 9% (2014 est.)

Demographic profile: Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Latin America and has one of the world's highest murder rates. More than half of the population lives in poverty and per capita income is one of the lowest in the region. Poverty rates are higher among rural and indigenous people and in the south, west, and along the eastern border than in the north and central areas where most of Honduras' industries and infrastructure are concentrated. The increased productivity needed to break Honduras' persistent high poverty rate depends, in part, on further improvements in educational attainment. Although primary-school enrollment is near 100%, educational quality is poor, the drop-out rate and grade repetition remain high, and teacher and school accountability is low.Honduras' population growth rate has slowed since the 1990s, but it remains high at nearly 2% annually because the birth rate averages approximately three children per woman and more among rural, indigenous, and poor women. Consequently, Honduras' young adult population - ages 15 to 29 - is projected to continue growing rapidly for the next three decades and then stabilize or slowly shrink. Population growth and limited job prospects outside of agriculture will continue to drive emigration. Remittances represent about a fifth of GDP.

Age structure
0-14 years: 30.2% (male 1,411,537/female 1,377,319)
15-24 years: 21.03% (male 969,302/female 972,843)
25-54 years: 37.79% (male 1,657,260/female 1,832,780)
55-64 years: 5.58% (male 233,735/female 281,525)
65 years and over: 5.4% (male 221,779/female 277,260) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 55.2
Youth dependency ratio: 47.5
Elderly dependency ratio: 7.7
Potential support ratio: 13 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 24.4 years
Male: 23.5 years
Female: 25.2 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 165

Population growth rate: 1.27% (2020 est.)
Rank: 84

Birth rate: 18.5 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 83

Death rate: 4.7 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 204

Net migration rate: -1.4 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 152

Population distribution: most residents live in the mountainous western half of the country; unlike other Central American nations, Honduras is the only one 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

Urbanization
Urban population: 58.4% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 2.75% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 1.444 million TEGUCIGALPA (capital), 903,000 San Pedro Sula (2020)

Environment
Current issues: urban population expanding; deforestation results from logging and the clearing of land for agricultural purposes; further land degradation and soil erosion hastened by uncontrolled development and improper land use practices such as farming of marginal lands; mining activities polluting Lago de Yojoa (the country's largest source of fresh water), as well as several rivers and streams, with heavy metals
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.83 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 20.4 years (2011/12 est.)
Note: median age a first birth among women 25-29

Infant mortality rate
Total: 14.6 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 16.6 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 12.4 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 99

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.6 years
Male: 71.1 years
Female: 78.3 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 129

Total fertility rate: 2.09 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 100

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 73.2% (2011/12)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 11.1% of population
Total: 5.2% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 7.9% (2017)

Physicians density: 0.31 physicians/1000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density: 0.6 beds/1000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 4.6% of population
Rural: 16.5% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 9.8% of population (2017 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.4% (2019 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 77
People living with hivaids: 25,000 (2019 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 82
Deaths note: <1000 (2019 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high (2020)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 21.4% (2016)
Rank: 89

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 7.1% (2012)
Rank: 72

Education expenditures: 6.1% of GDP (2018)
Rank: 24

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 87.2%
Male: 87.1%
Female: 87.3% (2016)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 10 years
Male: 10 years
Female: 11 years (2017)

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Honduras
Conventional short form: Honduras
Local long form: Republica de Honduras
Local short form: Honduras
Etymology: the name means depths in Spanish and refers to the deep anchorage in the northern Bay of Trujillo

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Tegucigalpa; note - article eight of the Honduran constitution states that the twin cities of Tegucigalpa and Comayaguela, jointly, constitute the capital of the Republic of Honduras; however, virtually all governmental institutions are on the Tegucigalpa side, which in practical terms makes Tegucigalpa the capital
Geographic coordinates: 14 06 N, 87 13 W
Time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time): etymology: while most sources agree that Tegucigalpa is of Nahuatl derivation, there is no consensus on its original meaning

Administrative divisions: 18 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Atlantida, Choluteca, Colon, Comayagua, Copan, Cortes, El Paraiso, Francisco Morazan, Gracias a Dios, Intibuca, Islas de la Bahia, La Paz, Lempira, Ocotepeque, Olancho, Santa Barbara, Valle, Yoro

Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest approved 11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982
Amendments: 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; amended many times, last in 2015; note - the 2015 amendment struck down several constitutional articles on presidential term limits

Legal system: civil law system

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: yes
Citizenship by descent only: yes
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 1 to 3 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Juan Orlando HERNANDEZ Alvarado (since 27 January 2014); Vice Presidents Ricardo ALVAREZ, Maria RIVERA, and Olga ALVARADO (since 26 January 2018); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Juan Orlando HERNANDEZ Alvarado (since 27 January 2014); Vice Presidents Ricardo ALVAREZ, Maria RIVERA, and Olga ALVARADO (since 26 January 2018)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 4-year term; election last held on 26 November 2017 (next to be held in November 2021); note - in 2015, the Constitutional Chamber of the Honduran Supreme Court struck down the constitutional provisions on presidential term limits
Election results: Juan Orlando HERNANDEZ Alvarado reelected president; percent of vote Juan Orlando HERNANDEZ Alvarado (PNH) 43%, Salvador NASRALLA (Alianza de Oposicion conta la Dictadura) 41.4%, Luis Orlando ZELAYA Medrano (PL) 14.7%, other .9%

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (128 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by closed, party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 27 November 2017 (next to be held on 28 November 2021)
Election results: percent of vote by party - PNH 47.7%, LIBRE 23.4%, PL 20.3%, AP 3.1%, PINU 3.1%, DC 0.8%, PAC 0.8%, UD 0.8%; seats by party - PNH 61, LIBRE 30, PL 26, AP 4, PINU 4, DC 1, PAC 1, UD 1; composition - men 101, women 27, percent of women 21.1%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (15 principal judges, including the court president, and 7 alternates; court organized into civil, criminal, constitutional, and labor chambers); note - the court has both judicial and constitutional jurisdiction
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

Political parties and leaders: Alliance against the Dictatorship or Alianza de Oposicion conta la Dictadura [Salvador NASRALLA] (electoral coalition) Anti-Corruption Party or PAC [Marlene ALVARENGA] Christian Democratic Party or DC [Lucas AGUILERA] Democratic Unification Party or UD [Alfonso DIAZ] Freedom and Refoundation Party or LIBRE [Jose Manuel ZELAYA Rosales] Honduran Patriotic Alliance or AP [Romeo VASQUEZ Velasquez] Liberal Party or PL [Luis Orlando ZELAYA Medrano] National Party of Honduras or PNH [Reinaldo SANCHEZ Rivera] Innovation and Unity Party or PINU [Guillermo VALLE]

International organization participation: 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, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO (suspended), WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Luis Fernando SUAZO BARAHONA (since 17 September 2020)
In the us chancery: Suite 700, 1250 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 966-7,702
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 966-9,751
In the us consulate:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge dAffaires Colleen A. HOEY (since August 2019)
From the us telephone: [504] 2,236-9,320, 2,238-5,114
From the us embassy: Avenida La Paz, Tegucigalpa M.D.C.
From the us mailing address: American Embassy, APO AA 34,022, Tegucigalpa
From the us FAX: [504] 2,236-9,037

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of cerulean blue (top), white, and cerulean blue, with five cerulean, five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band; the stars represent the members of the former Federal Republic of Central America: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua; the blue bands symbolize the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea; the white band represents the land between the two bodies of water and the peace and prosperity of its people
Note: similar to the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom, centered in the white band

National symbols: scarlet macaw, white-tailed deer; national colors: blue, white

National anthem
Name: Himno Nacional de Honduras (National Anthem of Honduras)
Lyricsmusic: Augusto Constancio COELLO/Carlos HARTLING
Note: adopted 1915; the anthem's seven verses chronicle Honduran history; on official occasions, only the chorus and last verse are sung

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:
Real note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 53

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
Rank: 155

Gross national saving:
Rank: 83

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 77.7% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 13.8% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 23.1% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.7% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 43.6% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -58.9% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 14.2% (2017 est.)
Industry: 28.8% (2017 est.)
Services: 57% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: bananas, coffee, citrus, corn, African palm; beef; timber; shrimp, tilapia, lobster, sugar, oriental vegetables

Industries: sugar processing, coffee, woven and knit apparel, wood products, cigars

Industrial production growth rate: 4.5% (2017 est.)
Rank: 65

Labor force: 3.735 million (2017 est.)
Rank: 95
By occupation agriculture: 39.2%
By occupation industry: 20.9%
By occupation services: 39.8% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Note: about one-third of the people are underemployed
Rank: 89

Population below poverty line: 29.6% (2014)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.2%
Highest 10: 38.4% (2014)

Budget
Revenues: 4.658 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 5.283 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -2.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 120

Taxes and other revenues: 20.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 150

Public debt:
Rank: 131

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 173

Current account balance:
Rank: 113

Exports:
Rank: 104
Partners: US 34.5%, Germany 8.9%, Belgium 7.7%, El Salvador 7.3%, Netherlands 7.2%, Guatemala 5.2%, Nicaragua 4.8% (2017)
Commodities: coffee, apparel, coffee, shrimp, automobile wire harnesses, cigars, bananas, gold, palm oil, fruit, lobster, lumber

Imports:
Rank: 103
Commodities: communications equipment, machinery and transport, industrial raw materials, chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs
Partners: US 40.3%, Guatemala 10.5%, China 8.5%, Mexico 6.2%, El Salvador 5.7%, Panama 4.4%, Costa Rica 4.2% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 96

Debt external:
Rank: 118

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access population without electricity: 2 million (2019)
Access electrification total population: 81% (2019)
Access electrification urban areas: 91% (2019)
Access electrification rural areas: 68% (2019)
Production: 8.501 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 108
Consumption: 7.22 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 107
Exports: 536 million kWh (2015 est.)
Exports rank: 67
Imports: 195 million kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 94
Installed generating capacity: 2.546 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 108
Generation sources fossil fuels: 40% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 168
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 107
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 25% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 77
Generation sources other renewable sources: 34% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 11

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 149
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 137
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 141
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 145

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products production rank: 157
Products consumption: 59,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 97
Products exports: 12,870 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 77
Products imports: 56,120 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 75

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 146
Consumption: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 159
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 121
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 139
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 147

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 9.436 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 110

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 458,696
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 5.03 (2019 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 98
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 6,633,309
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 72.74 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 107

Broadcast media: multiple privately owned terrestrial TV networks, supplemented by multiple cable TV networks; Radio Honduras is the lone government-owned radio network; roughly 300 privately owned radio stations

Internet
Country code: .hn
Users total: 2,853,505
Users percent of population: 31.7% (July 2018 est.)
Users rank: 101

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 354,861
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 4 (2018 est.)
Rank: 96

Military expenditures:
Rank: 73

Military and security forces: Honduran Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas de Honduras, FFAA): Army, Honduran Naval Force (FNH; includes marines), Honduran Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Hondurena, FAH), Honduran Public Order Military Police (PMOP); Ministry of Public Security and Defense: Public Security Forces (includes paramilitary units) (2020)

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary 2- to 3-year military service; no conscription (2012)

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 4 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 26
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 251,149 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 450,000
Note: mt-km (2018)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: HR (2016)

Airports: 103 (2013)
Rank: 53
With paved runways total: 13 (2017)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3 (2017)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4 (2017)
With paved runways under 914 m: 3 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 90 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 16 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 73 (2013)

Railways
Total: 699 km (2014)
Narrow gauge: 164 km
Note: 1.067-m gauge (2014): 115 km 1.057-m gauge420 km 0.914-m gauge
Rank: 101

Roadways
Total: 14,742 km (2012)
Paved: 3,367 km (2012)
Unpaved: 11,375 km
Note:
Rank: 126

Waterways: 465 km
Note: (most navigable only by small craft) (2012)
Rank: 84

Merchant marine
Total: 527
By type: general cargo 247, oil tanker 83, other 197 (2019)
Rank: 41

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: La Ceiba, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela

Disputes international: International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on the delimitation of 'bolsones' (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras border in 1992 with final settlement by the parties in 2006 after an Organization of American States survey and a further ICJ ruling in 2003; the 1992 ICJ ruling advised a tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca with consideration of Honduran access to the Pacific; El Salvador continues to claim tiny Conejo Island, not mentioned in the ICJ ruling, off Honduras in the Gulf of Fonseca; Honduras claims the Belizean-administered Sapodilla Cays off the coast of Belize in its constitution, but agreed to a joint ecological park around the cays should Guatemala consent to a maritime corridor in the Caribbean under the OAS-sponsored 2002 Belize-Guatemala Differendum

Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs: 247,000 (violence, extortion, threats, forced recruitment by urban gangs between 2004 and 2018) (2019)

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for drugs and narcotics; illicit producer of cannabis, cultivated on small plots and used principally for local consumption; corruption is a major problem; some money-laundering activity