Every figure below carries its named source and year. The Eco Index scores twelve pillars on the same scale everywhere; seven are measured from published data with fixed thresholds, five are assessed from the named sources.
Honduras at a Glance.
The score, and the four numbers that set the tone. 12 equally-weighted pillars, every pillar sourced.
Compare with:
Renewable power
56%
of electricity
Food imported
20%
of merchandise imports · ~US$3,628m a year
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Water
Food & farming
Plant-based
Organic
Conservation
Wildlife
Materials
Pollution
Recycling
Energy
Culture
Heritage
Facts That Surprise People About Honduras.
The numbers and firsts that change how you see Honduras, the sobering and the remarkable. Every one is dated and linked to its source.
SoberingHealth
A high risk of early death from chronic disease
In 2021, a Honduran aged 30 had a 17.8% chance of dying before 70 from heart disease, cancer, diabetes or chronic lung disease.
SoberingFood
One person in seven is undernourished
In 2024, 14.3% of the population of Honduras was undernourished, according to World Bank data.
Source: World Bank, Prevalence of undernourishment · 2024
SoberingHealth
Most adults are overweight
In 2022, 63.8% of adults in Honduras were overweight.
Source: World Bank, Prevalence of overweight (% of adults) · 2022
SoberingEnvironment
A World Heritage forest listed in danger
The Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve has been a World Heritage Site since 1982 and on UNESCO's danger list since 1996, apart from a break between 2007 and 2011. Illegal logging and cattle ranching still clear its forest, and illegal resource extraction is widespread.
Source: IUCN World Heritage Outlook, Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve · 1996
RemarkableHistory
Copán is a World Heritage Site
The Maya city of Copan became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. Its Hieroglyphic Stairway carries the longest known Maya inscription, and the city was abandoned in the early 10th century.
RemarkableNature
More than half the land is forest
Forest covered 52.8% of the land area of Honduras in 2024.
Source: World Bank, Forest area (% of land area) · 2024
RemarkableEnvironment
Most electricity comes from renewables
In 2021, 64.9% of the electricity generated in Honduras came from renewable sources.
Source: World Bank, Renewable electricity output · 2021
Worth knowingCulture
A town where it rains fish
In Yoro, fish are found on the ground after heavy rains, usually at some point between May and July. The event surprises locals and visitors every year.
Source: El Heraldo, Cae lluvia de peces en Yoro · 2026
The History of Honduras.
Honduras holds rich living heritage, and two of its traditions are on UNESCO's Representative List. The language, dance and music of the Garifuna, a people of mixed indigenous Caribbean and African origin whose songs are sung to drums, was proclaimed in 2001 and inscribed in 2008, and the making and eating of cassava bread followed in 2024.
Where the name comes from
Spanish for 'depths', for the deep water off the coast. Source: national and regional toponymic records.
The land itself: mountainous through the interior, with narrow plains along both coasts. Its high point is Cerro Las Minas, 2,870 m. Source: national mapping and survey records.
Where it starts
Copan, and the longest text in the Maya world
Maize pollen from a bog in the Copan Valley shows farming there as early as 2300 BC. Copan became a major Classic Maya centre under a dynasty founded by K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' around AD 430, and its Hieroglyphic Stairway, the largest in the Maya area, carries the longest known Maya hieroglyphic inscription. The city was abandoned in the early 10th century and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.
How it got here
The Garifuna coast and the banana century
Forced off St Vincent in the eighteenth century, the Garifuna settled along the Atlantic coast of Central America, where their communities remain. Independence from Spain came in 1821, and in the twentieth century US fruit companies built banana plantations across Honduras that dominated its economy.
The timeline
c. 2300 BC
First farmers at Copan.
Maize pollen in a peat bog shows that people were farming in the Copan Valley as early as 2300 BC. Source
From c. AD 430
Copan.
Copan becomes a major Classic Maya city under a dynasty founded by K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' around AD 430, whose last ruler was Yax Pasaj. Source
Classic period
The hieroglyphic stairway.
Copan's Hieroglyphic Stairway, the largest in the Maya area, carries the longest known Maya hieroglyphic inscription. Source
Before 1500
Lenca, Paya, Jicaque and Sumu.
The Lenca live in what is now west-central Honduras, Paya speakers in the north-east, and the Jicaque and Sumu along the Caribbean coast. Source
1502
European contact.
On his final voyage in 1502, Columbus sails past the Bay Islands, seizes a large trading canoe there and then reaches the mainland of Central America. Source
1797
The Garifuna reach the Bay Islands.
Deported from St Vincent by the British in 1797, the Garifuna are resettled in the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras. Source
Early 1800s
The Garifuna coast.
From the Bay Islands the Garifuna move to the mainland and settle in coastal villages along the Caribbean shore of northern Honduras. Source
1821
Independence from Spain.
On 15 September 1821, Honduras and the other Central American provinces declare their independence from Spain. Source
1889 onward
The banana economy.
Banana exports begin in 1889, and US fruit companies such as Standard Fruit win tax exemptions and the right to build wharves and roads, with friends in government. Source
Instituto Hondureno de Antropologia e Historia (IHAH) · UNESCO World Heritage, Maya Site of Copan · UNESCO World Heritage, Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve · Ancient Mesoamerica, Late Holocene fire and agriculture in the Copan Valley, Honduras (2002) · Ciencias Espaciales, Centrality of Temple 16 during the reign of Yax Pasaj in Copan (2017) · Ancient Mesoamerica, The Hieroglyphic Stairway and its Ancestors (1992) · US Office of the Historian, Honduras · Instituto Hondureño de Antropología e Historia, Parque Arqueológico Copán
Nature and Biodiversity in Honduras.
Protected areas cover 23% of the land (World Bank, 2025) and 4.9% of territorial waters (World Bank, 2025), including reef parks around the Bay Islands and the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve. Enforcement is patchy and deforestation is among the region's fastest, so real protection lags the figures.
Is wild Honduras protected? 23% of the land is, against a 30% target for 2030
How protected is nature in Honduras?
Forest cover52.8%
Terrestrial protected area23%
Marine protected area4.9%
312 (mammals, birds, fish & plants) listed as threatened.
Found only here. Endemic reptiles and amphibians of the cloud forests, the scarlet macaw as national bird, and whale sharks that gather off Utila
The watchlist
ThreatenedYellow-naped Amazon (Amazona auropalliata) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Honduras in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedHawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Honduras in GBIF occurrence data (turtle).
ThreatenedSwamper (Ctenosaura bakeri) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Honduras in GBIF occurrence data (reptile).
ThreatenedElkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Honduras in GBIF occurrence data (coral).
ThreatenedHamlet (Epinephelus striatus) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Honduras in GBIF occurrence data (species).
ThreatenedFire coral (Millepora complanata) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Honduras in GBIF occurrence data (coral).
ThreatenedMarisora roatanae Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Honduras in GBIF occurrence data (reptile).
ThreatenedAnolis bicaorum Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Honduras in GBIF occurrence data (reptile).
What is still here, and what is gone?
Tap a species for the honest status.
Closest to being lost, by name
Yellow-naped Amazon (Amazona auropalliata)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Honduras. GBIF holds 23 verified occurrence records.
Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Honduras. GBIF holds 49 verified occurrence records.
Swamper (Ctenosaura bakeri)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Honduras. GBIF holds 35 verified occurrence records.
Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Honduras. GBIF holds 78 verified occurrence records.
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for Honduras filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
Who is putting it back
National park in Lempira, mapped and named in the open record for Honduras. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Francisco Morazán, mapped and named in the open record for Honduras. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Bay Islands, mapped and named in the open record for Honduras. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Gracias a Dios, mapped and named in the open record for Honduras. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Cortés, mapped and named in the open record for Honduras. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Atlántida, mapped and named in the open record for Honduras. OpenStreetMap.
Water and Ocean in Honduras.
Rivers draining the central highlands and Lago de Yojoa, the largest natural lake, give reasonable supply, but the southern dry corridor sees recurring drought. About 66% of people have safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2024) and tap water is not safe for visitors.
Does Honduras have enough fresh water? Yes, with headroom
65.5% of people here have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Coverage is well short of universal, so a visitor should not assume the tap is safe.
Cleanest water: The clear reef waters around the Bay Islands of Roatan, Utila and Guanaja
How much fresh water does Honduras have, per person?
8,664 m³
Honduras
1,000 m³
the UN “water scarce” line
Honduras withdraws about 1,607 million cubic metres of fresh water a year (2022). That is 4.6% of the fresh water actually available to it, which FAO counts as no water stress. Of what is taken, farming takes 73%, homes and towns 20%, industry 7%. Source: FAO AQUASTAT.
What are the rules on Honduras beaches?
✕Tap water: Not drinkable.
✕Plastic rules: No national ban; the Bay Islands municipalities restrict single use plastics and polystyrene.
✕Solo travel: rated take care on the record for this destination.
✕Marine protection: 4.58% of the sea is protected. The 30x30 pledge for 2030 is not met yet.
Named on the open map: West Bay Beach, Half Moon Bay Beach and Camp Bay Beach on Roatán, Chepes Public Beach on Utila, Playa Los Maestros near La Ceiba, Cocalito near Tela, and Playa Negra and Playa Grande on the Gulf of Fonseca. That is 8 named beaches picked from the public record for Honduras, each one a place you can look up before you go. OpenStreetMap.
Where does the sewage go?
87.7%
of people have at least basic sanitation
87.7% of people here use at least a basic toilet not shared with other households (2024, World Bank / WHO UNICEF JMP). No figure is published for how much of that waste is safely treated, so the share reaching the ground or the water untreated is unknown.
How is the sea around Honduras doing?
One cross-section, every answer measured.
Surface
What the coast carries
Caribbean hurricane season Jun–Nov; the Bay Islands have a dry mini-season Feb–Apr.
Nearshore
Protected water
4.9% of territorial waters are protected, against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Cleanest
Where the water is cleanest
The clear reef waters around the Bay Islands of Roatan, Utila and Guanaja.
The record
Measured
Rivers draining the central highlands and Lago de Yojoa, the largest natural lake, give reasonable supply, but the southern dry corridor sees recurring drought. About 66% of people have safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2024) and tap water is not safe for visitors.
Honduras scored 73 out of 100 on the Ocean Health Index in its 2025 assessment, above the global average of 72, and ranked 93rd of 220 coastal regions. The index team says it is no longer updating scores, so the 2025 figures may be the last.
Sea protected
4.9%
Against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Threatened species
312 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Mammals, birds, fish and higher plants on the IUCN list.
Is the tap water safe in Honduras?
65.5% of people have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Renewable fresh water works out at about 8,664 cubic metres per person a year (World Bank).
How hard is the water supply being pushed?
Of every 10 buckets nature refills, 0 are already taken. Withdrawals run at 4.6% of what Honduras renews internally each year (2022, World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT). That is inside the 25% mark generally treated as water stress, so the supply has headroom.
Seaweed on the beaches. Sargassum now reaches the Honduran Caribbean coast and the Bay Islands. In February 2026 the Roatán municipality closed West Bay beach after about a kilometre of it was covered, at least seven hotels in West Bay and West End suspended water activities, and President Nasry Asfura ordered immediate clean-up measures, with the national risk agency COPECO asked to help. In September 2026 COPECO's forecasting centre, CENAOS, warned of a high risk of arrivals at Puerto Cortés and Omoa, from Barra Patuca to Iriona, and on the north shore of the Bay Islands. It advises against swimming among the mats and says rotting sargassum can release hydrogen sulphide and ammonia.
When is the best time to visit Honduras? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
How much fresh water does Honduras actually have?
Nature renews about 8,664 cubic metres of fresh water per person per year here. That ranks Honduras 151 of 208 countries measured, putting it in the wetter half of the world. The UN treats anything under 1,000 cubic metres as water scarce, and this is above that line. World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT.
FAO AQUASTAT · WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme · World Bank Open Data · Ocean Health Index, Honduras · Ocean Health Index, Global scores · El Heraldo, Cierran temporalmente playa West Bay tras aparición de sargazo en Roatán (9 February 2026) · La Prensa, Alertan por llegada de sargazo al Caribe hondureño (19 September 2026) · OpenStreetMap, Overpass API query of named beaches in Honduras (28 October 2026)
Food and Drink in Honduras.
Honduras grows maize, red beans and rice, but drought has cut recent harvests and it imports large amounts of cereal, about 1.8 million tonnes in the 2025 to 2026 season, including wheat and maize for animal feed. Maize and beans sit at the heart of everyday eating, cassava bread is a living tradition, and forest covers about 53% of the country (World Bank, 2024).
Where does the food in Honduras come from?
19.5% imported
about US$3,628m a year
On the plate: Baleadas or bean filled tortillas, red beans, maize, plantain, cassava and rice
2 of 10
bites are imported
The island buys in more food energy than it eats. About US$3,628m a year leaves the country to pay for it. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
About 19.5% of everything Honduras buys in from abroad is food, roughly 2 in every 10 imported items on the dock (2024, World Bank). Farming itself is 13.3% of the economy and 32% of the land is agricultural, of which 9.1% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in Honduras? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Non-communicable diseases, all combined47.7%
Diabetes5%
There is no published national count. In April 2014 the head of orthopaedics at Hospital Escuela, the country's main public hospital, said 16 to 20 patients a month lose a limb there, at least four a week, and that diabetes is the leading cause, mostly through diabetic foot. Source: El Heraldo.
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 63.8%.
Can Honduras feed itself?
9.1%
Arable land
28.5%
Agricultural land
973,366
Farmers
2,515,529
Arable acres
13.3%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Coffee from November to March; basic grains through the rainy season
Feeding itself
Honduras is a major agricultural exporter, leading Central America in coffee and growing bananas, palm oil and basic grains, yet it still imports staple cereals. Maize, beans, plantain and cassava underpin a mostly home grown everyday diet, and forest covers about 56% of the country (World Bank, 2022).
Certification
About 2.0% of agricultural land is certified organic (FiBL, 2020), much of it shade coffee and cacao, placing Honduras in the middle band.
Water for crops
Rivers draining the central highlands and Lago de Yojoa, the largest natural lake, give reasonable supply, but the southern dry corridor sees recurring drought. About 66% of people have safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2024) and tap water is not safe for visitors.
Why the organic number looks like that. Certification covers only part of what is grown cleanly, so a small certified share is a gap in the paperwork rather than proof that nothing is. What the official land record does show: 32% of the country is agricultural land and 9.1% is arable (2023, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
What actually grows here
SugarcaneOil palm fruitMaizeBananasCoffeeCantaloupes/melonsOrangesBeans
The food that already fits
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Honduras are sugarcane, oil palm fruit, maize, bananas and green coffee (FAO, FAOSTAT crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Buy direct where residents buy: the Feria del Agricultor y el Artesano beside the José de la Paz Herrera National Stadium in Tegucigalpa opens every Friday and Saturday, with 455 farmers and small makers selling fresh produce, staples and craft. It has run since September 1981.
Not yet checked by us. Plant based kitchens listed publicly: Gopal's, vegetarian restaurant in Tegucigalpa: Indian influenced cooking, any dish can be made vegan; Baleadas Olanchito, baleada shop in Tegucigalpa: baleadas with beans, avocado and plantain; Marigold Indian Cuisine, Indian restaurant at Gibson Bight, Roatán, with clearly marked vegan dishes; Naboo Restaurant, resort restaurant in West Bay, Roatán, with a dedicated vegan menu; Seawiches Lounge Bar, bar in West End, Roatán, with many vegan choices; La Ruta del Sabor, Salvadoran kitchen in West End, Roatán: labelled vegan pupusas. Tell us how they are.
Is this grown in Honduras?
Tap a food for the honest answer.
Baleadas or bean filled tortillasRed beansMaizePlantainCassavaRice
World Bank Open Data · FAO, FAOSTAT crop production · World Health Organization · FAO AQUASTAT · El Heraldo, Diabetes es la primera causa de amputaciones (7 April 2014) · HappyCow, Tegucigalpa listings · HappyCow, Roatán listings · El Heraldo, Feria del Agricultor celebra 45 años de historia y servicio a los capitalinos (4 September 2026) · FAO GIEWS, Country Brief: Honduras · World Bank, Forest area (% of land area): Honduras
Climate and Energy in Honduras.
Honduras generates roughly half of its electricity from renewables, about 52 per cent in 2023, drawing on hydropower, a large solar build out, wind and biomass, with the balance from fuel oil and coal. Per person emissions are very low at 1.19 tonnes of CO2 in 2024. The country has a nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement and has rapidly expanded solar capacity since the mid 2010s. The score sits at 4 rather than 5 because thermal fuel oil and coal still supply close to half of generation.
What powers Honduras?
Renewable 55.5%Fossil 44.6%
Electricity is supplied by ENEE, the national electricity company, and regulated by the Electric Energy Regulatory Commission, CREE, which sets the tariffs ENEE may charge. On 31 March 2026 CREE announced ENEE's authorised tariff structure for April to June 2026, and it is reviewing ENEE's plan to cut electricity losses. CREE has also published versions of a proposed reform of the sector, which it says would end direct contracting without tenders, and sets out what each version means for ENEE's assets and its public status, under the question of whether the reform amounts to privatisation.
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
1.14 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The worst it ever got
1.14 tonnes
The grid
Honduras generates roughly half of its electricity from renewables, about 52 per cent in 2023, drawing on hydropower, a large solar build out, wind and biomass, with the balance from fuel oil and coal. Per person emissions are very low at 1.19 tonnes of CO2 in 2024.
Pollution
The PM2.5 annual mean sits around 21 micrograms per cubic metre (IQAir, 2023), well above WHO guidance and worsened by agricultural and forest fire smoke. There is no national plastic ban, only Bay Islands restrictions, and litter is common on the mainland.
Water stress
Rivers draining the central highlands and Lago de Yojoa, the largest natural lake, give reasonable supply, but the southern dry corridor sees recurring drought. About 66% of people have safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2024) and tap water is not safe for visitors.
What pollutes most here
1The grid The share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.38%
2Industry Open pit mining and African palm plantations linked to deforestation and land conflict.named
3Air Modelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.21
4On the record The PM2.5 annual mean sits around 21 micrograms per cubic metre (IQAir, 2023), well above WHO guidance and worsened by agricultural and forest fire smoke.
What has Honduras promised on climate?
Electricity renewable today64.6% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target23% by 2025
Sea protected, against a 30% target4.9% by 2025
Measured on delivery, 64.6% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 35.4% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year1.14 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Singapore return, economy3.23 t CO2e
Dubai return, economy2.53 t CO2e
Sydney return, economy2.48 t CO2e
Johannesburg return, economy2.38 t CO2e
Frankfurt return, economy1.66 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to Honduras emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
Firsts on climate finance. Honduras holds an excess rainfall policy with CCRIF, the regional disaster insurer. Heavy rain between 14 and 19 November 2024 triggered a payout of US$4,665,090 to the government.
AI and Data Centres in Honduras.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in Honduras.
Data centres
1
Registered colocation and interconnection facilities, PeeringDB, 2026
Grid renewable
55.5 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in Honduras?
A machine here runs mostly on renewables, but not entirely.
Renewable 55.5%Fossil 44.5%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 64.6% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it, so the same figure that decides this country's climate score also decides the footprint of the AI running inside it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. Honduras has 1 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, concentrated in Tegucigalpa (1), alongside 3 internet exchanges (IXP-HN, PIT Honduras, IXP LATAM). Named sites include Navégalo Data Center Honduras (HN1).
Where the cables land. 3 landing points · Puerto Cortes, Puerto Lempira, Trujillo
Economy and Tourism in Honduras.
83% residents to 17% visitors across a year. 2,315,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 11,005,850 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in Honduras
669k
Visitors a year
0.1
Visitors per resident
How deep in debt is Honduras?· for every $100 Honduras earns in a year, it owes…
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · the 1990 peak
$ 236The worst year on the IMF record. Honduras owed $236 for every $100 it earned.
IMF World Economic Outlook, 1990signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · today
$ 44What is owed now, for every $100 of national income (2026).
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · projected 2031
$ 34The IMF's own forecast has this falling to $34 by 2031.
IMF World Economic Outlook projection, 2031signed, the forecast
For every $100 Honduras earns in a year, it owes $44 (2026, IMF World Economic Outlook). The interest on that is paid before schools, clinics or coastline get their turn.
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in Honduras?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 2,315,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 11,005,850 residents, one visitor a year for every 5 residents (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in Honduras is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published3
The plate
Food is 19.5% of everything Honduras imports (2024, World Bank), so a large part of every restaurant bill is paid to a supplier abroad. Eating what the land here actually grows, sugarcane, oil palm fruit, maize, bananas, coffee, cantaloupes/melons, oranges, beans, keeps that money with the grower.
sails in4
The power
64.6% of the electricity is renewable (2021, World Bank), so the energy on the bill is mostly generated inside the country rather than shipped in.
made at home5
What actually stays
On the parts that can be measured, the plate leaves and the power stays. It is genuinely a coin toss, decided by what you book.
split6
Pay the bank first
Honduras owes $44 for every $100 it earns (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). The interest is paid before anything else on this board.
$44 per $1007
A spread hand
The largest single export, coffee, tea and spices, is 20.9% of the total (2023, UN Comtrade). No one shock can take the whole board.
top export 20.9%8
Community chest
Tourism earns 3% of everything Honduras makes from exports (2020, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
3% of exports9
The flight
Getting here is usually the biggest single line on the bill. From Singapore a return economy seat is 3.23 t CO2, on the UK Government's published conversion factors. It is the one part of the trip this board cannot reduce.
3.23 t CO210
Back to GO
The economy turns over about US$42 billion a year (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). Every lap of this board is a choice about how much of it stays.
US$42bnGDPUS$39.6bn
Agriculture, share of GDP13.3%
Visitors a year669,000
Visitors per resident0.1
Residents~11,005,850
Agriculture
Farming is 13.3% of the economy. Honduras is a major agricultural exporter, leading Central America in coffee and growing bananas, palm oil and basic grains, yet it still imports staple cereals.
Natural materials
Living crafts include junco palm weaving of hats and baskets, cotton textiles and Garifuna craftwork, alongside the better known Lenca pottery. Natural fibre traditions persist but are less prominent than in neighbouring Guatemala.
Energy
Honduras generates roughly half of its electricity from renewables, about 52 per cent in 2023, drawing on hydropower, a large solar build out, wind and biomass, with the balance from fuel oil and coal. Per person emissions are very low at 1.19 tonnes of CO2 in 2024.
Who owns the biggest hotels in Honduras?
By rooms · company records and press.
TranquilSeas Eco Lodge · ~7 roomsIndependentnot published
Visitors, over time
20152,093k
20162,228k
20172,144k
20182,323k
20192,315k
2020669k
International tourism receipts run at about US$0.19 billion in 2020 (World Bank / UN Tourism). That is 3% of everything the country earns from exports.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
Visiting Honduras, whoever you are.
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Five swaps that move your money back on-island
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking baleadas or bean filled tortillas, red beans, maize, plantain, cassava and rice over imported menus.
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays.
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays
4. Use the transport residents use Intercity buses on the mainland, with ferries and small flights to the Bay Islands
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
Swipe
First time here
Honduras still holds more than half its land under forest and guards a share of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, but grain dependence, weak recycling and personal safety concerns temper the picture.
Best time: Dry season, December to April
Getting around
Intercity buses on the mainland, with ferries and small flights to the Bay Islands
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate that actually grows here is sugarcane, oil palm fruit, maize, bananas, coffee, cantaloupes/melons, oranges and beans. Ordering those keeps the money with the grower and cuts the imported share of the meal.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
Good to know
Cash-heavy; Lempira. Cards in hotels and dive shops.
Rate my hotel. Tap yours for the honest verdict.
Ownership from company records and press.
Who owns the place to stay
TranquilSeas Eco LodgeIndependent · 7 rooms
The one property listed here does not publish who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in Honduras.
How well is Honduras actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, Honduras scores 36 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That matters here because every pledge on this page is only as good as the machinery meant to deliver it.
What is daily life in Honduras really like? Measured
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterWastePower
✓How you get around Intercity buses on the mainland, with ferries and small flights to the Bay Islands
88.3%
literacy. Public spending on education runs at 4.5% of GDP and 23.2% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment stands at 51.8% gross (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2018 to 2024).
Made in Honduras.
Living crafts include junco palm weaving of hats and baskets, cotton textiles and Garifuna craftwork, alongside the better known Lenca pottery. Natural fibre traditions persist but are less prominent than in neighbouring Guatemala. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What Honduras actually sells the world
The single biggest thing Honduras sells the world is coffee, tea and spices, 20.9% of all exports in 2023 (about US$1.50 billion, UN Comtrade). The next four are electrical machinery and electronics at 18.7%, animal and vegetable fats and oils at 8.5%, fish and seafood at 5.5%, fruit and nuts at 5.4%.
Sells now · 20.9% of exports
Coffee, tea and spices
Coffee, tea and spices is 20.9% of everything Honduras sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$1.50 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 18.7% of exports
Electrical machinery and electronics
Electrical machinery and electronics is 18.7% of everything Honduras sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$1.34 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 8.5% of exports
Animal and vegetable fats and oils
Animal and vegetable fats and oils is 8.5% of everything Honduras sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$0.61 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 5.5% of exports
Fish and seafood
Fish and seafood is 5.5% of everything Honduras sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$0.39 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 5.4% of exports
Fruit and nuts
Fruit and nuts is 5.4% of everything Honduras sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$0.38 billion. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 18.1% of imports
Mineral fuels and oils
Honduras imported US$2.60 billion of mineral fuels and oils in 2023, 18.1% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 10.4% of imports
Vehicles
Honduras imported US$1.50 billion of vehicles in 2023, 10.4% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 7.3% of imports
Machinery and mechanical appliances
Honduras imported US$1.05 billion of machinery and mechanical appliances in 2023, 7.3% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 5.4% of imports
Pharmaceuticals
Honduras imported US$0.77 billion of pharmaceuticals in 2023, 5.4% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
The maths for an entrepreneur. Honduras produces about US$40 billion a year, which is roughly US$3,598 per person (2025, World Bank). Farming is 13.3% of that, while food is 19.5% of everything the country imports. The country buys in more food than its own farms contribute to the economy, and every point of that gap is a business someone could build here rather than ship in. With 9.1% of the land arable, the raw material for that is already in the ground.
See the verified makersCulture in Honduras.
Garifuna dügü ancestral ceremony
The dügü is the major Garifuna ancestral feast, called when the spirits tell the buyei, the spiritual leader, that the ancestors must be placated. It brings days and nights of singing, dancing and drumming.
Language, dance and music of the Garifuna
The Garifuna, of mixed indigenous Caribbean and African origin, settled on the Atlantic coast of Central America after fleeing St Vincent in the 18th century. Their songs are sung to drums and dances that onlookers may join.
Does Honduras protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. Honduras holds rich living heritage across Garifuna, Lenca, Maya Chortí and mestizo communities. The Garifuna keep a distinct language, punta dance and drumming, and the dügü, an ancestral ceremony that calls on the spirits of forebears. The UNESCO listing covers the language, dance and music of the Garifuna, inscribed on the Representative List in 2008 after being proclaimed in 2001, and it does not name the dügü. Lenca communities maintain the Guancasco, a reconciliation rite between towns, alongside traditional pottery.
Who it belongs to. Living Lenca, Garifuna, Miskito and Maya Chorti communities keep distinct languages and traditions, and Garifuna coastal villages run their own tourism. Benefits are uneven, with the Bay Islands leaning towards a resort model.
Only here. Copan, the Maya city famed for the finest hieroglyphic stairway in the Maya world.
The Future of Honduras.
Three futures for Honduras, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named cultural and craft sites on the open map: Exit to the museum (Copán Ruinas), Lancetilla Botanical Garden (Tela). OpenStreetMap. Named craft workshops on the open map: Detalles lencas y mas, IMAPRO, Luv Crafts.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 66% to 52.8% across 29 recorded years.
How clean is the grid?
Renewable electricity moved from 61.3% to 64.9% across 26 recorded years.
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 0.66 t to 1.14 t across 29 recorded years.
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 271k to 669k across 24 recorded years.
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 21.2% to 23% across 12 recorded years.
How many people still farm?
Farm workforce moved from 27.7% to 22.4% across 30 recorded years.
How much sea is protected?
Protected sea moved from 0.5% to 4.9% across 12 recorded years.
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 31.1% to 28.5% across 29 recorded years.
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 42.9% to 59.3% across 30 recorded years.
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 36.7 µg/m³ to 30.7 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
Is water getting scarcer?
Fresh water per person moved from 15,795 m³ to 8,664 m³ across 27 recorded years.
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 39.2% to 63.8% across 27 recorded years.
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 66.1% to 95.5% across 29 recorded years.
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 814 to 3,598 across 30 recorded years.
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 5,740k to 11,006k across 30 recorded years.
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 63% to 45.9% across 26 recorded years.
How much energy does one person use?
Energy per person moved from 492 kg to 586 kg across 29 recorded years.
How much land and sea is protected together?
Protected area, total moved from 7.5% to 11.1% across 12 recorded years.
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 66.9 yrs to 73 yrs across 29 recorded years.
How much does a hectare of cereal produce?
Cereal yield moved from 1,540 kg/ha to 1,887 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 55.6 kg/ha to 198 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 57.1% to 40.7% across 30 recorded years.
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 8.16 $/m3 to 16.2 $/m3 across 19 recorded years.
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 6.27% to 7.71% across 23 recorded years.
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 73,868 km2 to 58,613 km2 across 30 recorded years.
How much electricity per person?
Electric power use moved from 352 kWh to 816 kWh across 29 recorded years.
How have agriculture emissions moved?
Agriculture emissions moved from 5.69 to 7.57 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have building emissions moved?
Building emissions moved from 1.66 to 1.94 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have electricity/heat emissions moved?
Electricity/Heat emissions moved from 0.04 to 4.12 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have energy emissions moved?
Energy emissions moved from 3.56 to 12.87 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have industrial processes emissions moved?
Industrial Processes emissions moved from 0.3 to 1.64 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have manufacturing/construction emissions moved?
Manufacturing/Construction emissions moved from 0.78 to 1.41 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have transportation emissions moved?
Transportation emissions moved from 1.07 to 5.27 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, food and farming at 2/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
What the best case actually asks for
Lift food and farming
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Honduras's record. Honduras is a major agricultural exporter, leading Central America in coffee and growing bananas, palm oil and basic grains, yet it still imports staple cereals.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift organic farming
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Honduras's record. About 2.0% of agricultural land is certified organic (FiBL, 2020), much of it shade coffee and cacao, placing Honduras in the middle band.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift pollution
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Honduras's record. The PM2.5 annual mean sits around 21 micrograms per cubic metre (IQAir, 2023), well above WHO guidance and worsened by agricultural and forest fire smoke. There is no national plastic ban, only Bay Islands restrictions, and litter is common on the mainland.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in Honduras.
Who is in charge of Honduras now · Office-holders from the UN Protocol and Liaison Service public list of Heads of State and Heads of Government, 20 October 2026. Legislature and election dates from IFES ElectionGuide. Constitution dates from the Constitute Project. Governance scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024.
Nasry Asfura
President
Nasry Asfura is the head of government of Honduras, in office since 27 January 2026. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government scores 46.8 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 47.7 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Control of corruption scores 22.9 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 23.2 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Political stability and absence of violence scores 58.0 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 58.6 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Rule of law scores 39.6 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 38.6 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Regulatory quality scores 44.6 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 45.2 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Nasry AsfuraPresident
National Congress (Congreso Nacional)Legislature, unicameral
Last election30 November 2025
Constitution1982, as revised to 2013
Government typepresidential republic
Honduras national goals: what has been pledged, and how far it has got · each pledge measured against this country's own recorded delivery
2030
30% of land protected
! closeTarget 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted by more than 190 parties in December 2022. Honduras currently protects 23% of its land, which is 77% of the way to the pledge. Source
2030
30% of sea protected
✕ far behindThe marine half of the same 30x30 pledge. Honduras currently protects 4.9% of its territorial waters, which is 16% of the way there. Source
2030
Paris Agreement pledge
on recordHonduras has a Nationally Determined Contribution lodged with the UNFCCC. The registry holds the current text, its target year and the sectors it covers. Source
Plastic policy
no national banNo national ban; the Bay Islands municipalities restrict single use plastics and polystyrene.
Grid, as it stands
62% renewableRecorded renewable share of electricity output, the number every energy pledge is measured against. Source
Plain Answers About Honduras.
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
Swipe
Is Honduras sustainable?
Honduras scores 62 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. Honduras still holds more than half its land under forest and guards a share of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, but grain dependence, weak recycling and personal safety concerns temper the picture.
Is the water in Honduras safe and plentiful?
Rivers draining the central highlands and Lago de Yojoa, the largest natural lake, give reasonable supply, but the southern dry corridor sees recurring drought. About 66% of people have safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2024) and tap water is not safe for visitors.
Can Honduras feed itself?
Honduras is a major agricultural exporter, leading Central America in coffee and growing bananas, palm oil and basic grains, yet it still imports staple cereals. Maize, beans, plantain and cassava underpin a mostly home grown everyday diet, and forest covers about 56% of the country (World Bank, 2022).
Is it easy to eat plant-based in Honduras?
Everyday eating centres on baleadas, red beans, maize tortillas, plantain, cassava and rice, an accessible plant based staple set, with meat and seafood added on the coast. Fresh tropical produce is cheap and everywhere.
How much of Honduras is actually protected?
Protected areas cover 23% of the land (World Bank, 2025) and 4.9% of territorial waters (World Bank, 2025), including reef parks around the Bay Islands and the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve. Enforcement is patchy and deforestation is among the region's fastest, so real protection lags the figures.
What wildlife is left in Honduras?
The Bay Islands sit on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef with year round whale sharks off Utila, while cloud forests such as Cusuco hold endemic amphibians and reptiles, and the scarlet macaw is the national bird. Diversity is high and endemism moderate.
Is Honduras on clean energy?
Honduras generates roughly half of its electricity from renewables, about 52 per cent in 2023, drawing on hydropower, a large solar build out, wind and biomass, with the balance from fuel oil and coal. Per person emissions are very low at 1.19 tonnes of CO2 in 2024. The country has a nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement and has rapidly expanded solar capacity since the mid 2010s.
How polluted is Honduras?
The PM2.5 annual mean sits around 21 micrograms per cubic metre (IQAir, 2023), well above WHO guidance and worsened by agricultural and forest fire smoke. There is no national plastic ban, only Bay Islands restrictions, and litter is common on the mainland.
Does recycling work in Honduras?
Formal municipal recycling is minimal and most waste is landfilled, dumped or burned, with an informal sector recovering some materials.
Is the farming in Honduras organic?
About 2.0% of agricultural land is certified organic (FiBL, 2020), much of it shade coffee and cacao, placing Honduras in the middle band.
Are there natural materials and craft in Honduras?
Living crafts include junco palm weaving of hats and baskets, cotton textiles and Garifuna craftwork, alongside the better known Lenca pottery. Natural fibre traditions persist but are less prominent than in neighbouring Guatemala.
Is there living culture in Honduras?
Living Lenca, Garifuna, Miskito and Maya Chorti communities keep distinct languages and traditions, and Garifuna coastal villages run their own tourism. Benefits are uneven, with the Bay Islands leaning towards a resort model.
What heritage does Honduras keep alive?
Honduras holds rich living heritage across Garifuna, Lenca, Maya Chortí and mestizo communities. The Garifuna keep a distinct language, punta dance and drumming, and the dügü, an ancestral ceremony that calls on the spirits of forebears. The UNESCO listing covers the language, dance and music of the Garifuna, inscribed on the Representative List in 2008 after being proclaimed in 2001, and it does not name the dügü. Lenca communities maintain the Guancasco, a reconciliation rite between towns, alongside traditional pottery.
So is Honduras actually green? The measured answer
What is working: renewable electricity at 64.6%.
What is not: sea protected at 4.9% against a 30% mark.
How Honduras Ranks, region and world.
Where Honduras sits on the Eco Index, against its Central America neighbours and the 77 destinations scored worldwide.
How does Honduras compare in Central America?
1Panama70
2Costa Rica67
3Guatemala65
5Nicaragua58
Scored Central America destinations, Eco Index.
The global top 10 of the 77 destinations scored
1Switzerland78
2France78
3Finland77
4Slovenia77
5Australia77
6Portugal75
7Germany75
8New Zealand75
9Italy73
10Spain73
Honduras sits 51 of 77 at 62/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking
What is Honduras particularly good at?
✓ Heritage, scored 5/5. Honduras holds rich living heritage across Garifuna, Lenca, Maya Chortí and mestizo communities. The Garifuna keep a distinct language, punta dance and drumming, and the dügü, an ancestral ceremony that calls on the spirits of forebears. The UNESCO listing covers the language, dance and music of the Garifuna, inscribed on the Representative List in 2008 after being proclaimed in 2001, and it does not name the dügü. Lenca communities maintain the Guancasco, a reconciliation rite between towns, alongside traditional pottery. Punta rock, marimba and the La Ceiba carnival keep music and dance alive in everyday and festival life.
✓ Plant-based eating, scored 4/5. Everyday eating centres on baleadas, red beans, maize tortillas, plantain, cassava and rice, an accessible plant based staple set, with meat and seafood added on the coast. Fresh tropical produce is cheap and everywhere.
✓ Wildlife, scored 4/5. The Bay Islands sit on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef with year round whale sharks off Utila, while cloud forests such as Cusuco hold endemic amphibians and reptiles, and the scarlet macaw is the national bird. Diversity is high and endemism moderate.
Where does Honduras score worst?
✕ Food and farming, scored 2/5. Honduras is a major agricultural exporter, leading Central America in coffee and growing bananas, palm oil and basic grains, yet it still imports staple cereals. Maize, beans, plantain and cassava underpin a mostly home grown everyday diet, and forest covers about 56% of the country (World Bank, 2022).
✕ Organic farming, scored 2/5. About 2.0% of agricultural land is certified organic (FiBL, 2020), much of it shade coffee and cacao, placing Honduras in the middle band.
✕ Pollution, scored 2/5. The PM2.5 annual mean sits around 21 micrograms per cubic metre (IQAir, 2023), well above WHO guidance and worsened by agricultural and forest fire smoke. There is no national plastic ban, only Bay Islands restrictions, and litter is common on the mainland.
A note from the lens of mother natureSwipe
Food and farming, 2/5
Honduras is a major agricultural exporter, leading Central America in coffee and growing bananas, palm oil and basic grains, yet it still imports staple cereals. Maize, beans, plantain and cassava underpin a mostly home grown everyday diet, and forest covers about 56% of the country (World Bank, 2022).
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Honduras's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Organic farming, 2/5
About 2.0% of agricultural land is certified organic (FiBL, 2020), much of it shade coffee and cacao, placing Honduras in the middle band.
Pollution, 2/5
The PM2.5 annual mean sits around 21 micrograms per cubic metre (IQAir, 2023), well above WHO guidance and worsened by agricultural and forest fire smoke. There is no national plastic ban, only Bay Islands restrictions, and litter is common on the mainland.
The Honduras Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in Honduras, checked and listed.
How the rest of the world scores Honduras
Independent global indices, for calibration.
Forest cover
52.8
World Bank, 2024.
Protected land
23.0
World Bank, 2025.
Protected sea
4.9
World Bank, 2025.
Renewable grid
64.9
World Bank, 2021.
CO2 per person
1.1
World Bank, 2024.
Threatened species
312 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Recorded figure, sourced on this page.
Control of corruption
22.9 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Government effectiveness
40.4 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Rule of law
39.6 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Political stability
58.0 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Voice and accountability
46.8 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Environmental Performance Index
37.4 / 100 · 112 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 112 of 177 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
45.2 / 100 · 78 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 78 of 177 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
54.0 / 100 · 46 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 46 of 177 countries assessed.
Air quality
25.7 / 100 · 128 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 128 of 177 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
59.4 / 100 · 80 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 80 of 177 countries assessed.
Marine habitat protected
29.2 / 100 · 43 of 111
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 43 of 111 countries assessed.
How Honduras Is Scored. The Throne Standard.
Every destination on the index is scored the same way, so a 4 in Barbados means exactly what a 4 means in Iceland. No self-declared data and no brochure claims are accepted. Seven pillars are scored from published measurements with the same fixed thresholds everywhere: energy (low-carbon share of electricity, 90% or more scores 5, 70% 4, 50% 3, 25% 2), conservation (land and sea protected), water (safe drinking water, wastewater treated, water stress), organic farmland, recycling, food import dependence and air quality. Where a measurement is not published for a place, that pillar keeps its source-assessed score and is labelled as such. Wildlife, culture, heritage, materials and plant-based eating have no comparable measurement and are assessed from the named sources. The Eco Index is the average of the twelve pillar scores multiplied by 20. Every figure on this page carries its named source and year, and the history on each page names what empire took as plainly as it scores the present.
The 12 pillars every destination is scored on, equally weighted
01
Water
Safe drinking water, wastewater treated and water stress. Measured.
02
Food & farming
How much of the import bill is food: whether the place feeds itself. Measured.
03
Plant-based
How easy it is to eat plant-based, from documented sources.
04
Organic
Certified organic share of farmland. Measured.
05
Conservation
Land and sea legally protected, against the 30 by 30 goal. Measured.
06
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost, from documented sources.
07
Materials
Local natural fibres and craft, from documented sources.
08
Pollution
Air quality (PM2.5, measured) and plastics and waste policy.
09
Recycling
Share of municipal waste recycled. Measured.
10
Energy
Low-carbon share of electricity, nuclear included. Measured.
11
Culture
Living culture and community-led visits, from documented sources.
12
Heritage
What the law keeps standing, from documented sources.
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
0
Absent
nothing verifiable exists
1
Failing
measurably going the wrong way
2
Weak
claims outrun delivery
3
Fair
real effort, mixed results
4
Strong
genuinely good, evidence named
5
Leading
world class, and the trend holds
Where the numbers come from.
The institutions above are the ones cited on this page, ranked by how many of its figures they carry. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
Every figure on this page, and where it came from: 70 sources across 30 institutions
World Bank16 FIGURES
- Forest area (% of land area, AG.LND.FRST.ZS), 2022. check
- Terrestrial protected areas (% of land area, ER.LND.PTLD.ZS), 2024. check
- Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters, ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS), 2021. check
- Threatened species (mammals EN.MAM.THRD.NO, birds EN.BIR.THRD.NO, fish EN.FSH.THRD.NO, higher plants EN.HPT.THRD.NO), 2022 check
- Renewable electricity output (% of total) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2021 check
- CO2 emissions per capita EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5, 2024 check
- GDP (current US$) NY.GDP.MKTP.CD, 2025 check
- International tourist arrivals ST.INT.ARVL, 2020 check
- Agricultural land (% of land area) AG.LND.AGRI.ZS, 2023 check
- Arable land (% of land area) AG.LND.ARBL.ZS, 2023 check
- Agriculture, value added (% of GDP) NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS, 2025 check
- Adult literacy rate SE.ADT.LITR.ZS, 2024 check
- Renewable internal freshwater per capita (m3) ER.H2O.INTR.PC, 2022 check
- Overweight prevalence, adults (%) SH.STA.OWAD.ZS, 2022 check
- Population total SP.POP.TOTL, 2025 check
- What a Waste 2.0 country-level dataset check
GBIF8 FIGURES
- IUCN Red List category service (IUCN Red List checklist), Amazona auropalliata, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Honduras in GBIF occurrence data (bird). check
- IUCN Red List category service (IUCN Red List checklist), Amazona auropalliata corroboration check
- IUCN Red List category service (IUCN Red List checklist), Ctenosaura bakeri, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Honduras in GBIF occurrence data (reptile). check
- IUCN Red List category service (IUCN Red List checklist), Ctenosaura bakeri corroboration check
- IUCN Red List category service (IUCN Red List checklist), Ctenosaura bakeri corroboration check
- IUCN Red List category service (IUCN Red List checklist), Ctenosaura bakeri corroboration check
- IUCN Red List category service (IUCN Red List checklist), Ctenosaura bakeri corroboration check
- IUCN Red List category service (IUCN Red List checklist), Ctenosaura bakeri corroboration check
SeaLifeBase species summary8 FIGURES
- Eretmochelys imbricata (hawksbill turtle), Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Honduras in GBIF occurrence data (turtle). check
- Eretmochelys imbricata (hawksbill turtle) corroboration check
- Eretmochelys imbricata (hawksbill turtle) corroboration check
- Acropora palmata (elkhorn coral), Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Honduras in GBIF occurrence data (coral). check
- Acropora palmata (elkhorn coral) corroboration check
- Acropora palmata (elkhorn coral) corroboration check
- Acropora palmata (elkhorn coral) corroboration check
- Acropora palmata (elkhorn coral) corroboration check
BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_TERR, Honduras, 2025 (77.1%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, marine Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_MRN_MPA, Honduras, 2025 (41.0%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_FRHWTR, Honduras, 2025 (100.0%), country-reported check
FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area (% of land area) AG_LND_FRST, Honduras, 2025 (52.4%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area under a long-term management plan (%) AG_LND_FRSTMGT, Honduras, 2025 (31.2%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area inside legally established protected areas (%) AG_LND_FRSTPRCT, Honduras, 2025 (32.8%), country-reported check
FishBase species summary3 FIGURES
UNESCO Institute for Statistics public data API3 FIGURES
- Honduras, government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, Public spending on education runs at 4.5% of GDP and 23.2% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment check
- Honduras, government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP corroboration check
- Honduras, government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP corroboration check
Scientific Reports (2023)2 FIGURES
UN Comtrade public preview API2 FIGURES
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme2 FIGURES
Attribution to the Honduran state cannot be verified1 FIGURE
- the wording matches a foreign factbook compilation; peer-reviewed limnology gives Lago de Yojoa as the largest natural freshwater lake and names El Mochito mine as the heavy metal source check
CBD1 FIGURE
- Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Target 3 check
Constitute Project1 FIGURE
- Honduras 1982 (rev. 2013) check
Convention on Biological Diversity1 FIGURE
- Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Target 3 corroboration check
Ember1 FIGURE
- Global Electricity Review, national generation mix check
FAOSTAT 2024 for Honduras: sugar cane 51 FIGURE
- 753,700 t, oil palm fruit 1,907,400 t, maize 730,330 t, bananas 550,869 t, green coffee 324,015 t; palm oil is a processed product and has no 2024 figure for Honduras at all check
FiBL1 FIGURE
- The World of Organic Agriculture, organic farmland statistics check
IEA, World Energy Balances1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, renewable share of total final energy consumption (%) EG_FEC_RNEW, Honduras, 2023 (40.5%), modelled estimate check
IFES ElectionGuide1 FIGURE
- Honduras elections and chambers check
INE1 FIGURE
- Honduras, national statistical authority check
Instituto Hondureno de Antropologia e Historia1 FIGURE
- national heritage and antiquities authority for Honduras check
International Energy Agency1 FIGURE
- Honduras country profile, 2024 check
IQAir1 FIGURE
- World Air Quality Report, Honduras PM2.5, 2023. check
Low Carbon Power (Ember data)1 FIGURE
- Honduras electricity mix, 2023. check
Other published sources1 FIGURE
- BirdLife International DataZone (IUCN Red List Authority for birds), IUCN Red List Categories explainer on the species factsheet, Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Honduras. check
Our World in Data1 FIGURE
- CO2 emissions country profile (Honduras), 2024 check
UN Protocol and Liaison Service1 FIGURE
- Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs, public list dated 20 October 2026 check
UNEP Global E-waste Monitor1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, electronic waste recycled (%) EN_EWT_RCYR, Honduras, 2023 (15.5%), country-reported check
UNESCO1 FIGURE
- Language, dance and music of the Garifuna, 2008 check
UNFCCC1 FIGURE
- NDC Registry check