Labour · Latin America & Caribbean · Lower-middle income
Honduras: the labour market
Labour force is 4.3m (2025), 94th of 187 in the world and 14th of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean. Participation rate is 56.6% (2025), 130th of 187 in the world and 25th of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean. Women's participation is 39.6% (2025), 152nd of 187 in the world and 28th of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean.
Labour force
Honduras
Participation rate
HondurasLatin America & CaribbeanLower-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Honduras in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Latin America & Caribbean; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 4.3m2025 | 94/187 | 14/31 | 2.4m | 3.2m | 4.1m | +13%since 2015 | 325m | 1.2bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 56.6%2025 | 130/187 | 25/31 | 64.4% | 61.9% | 59.5% | −7.5 ppsince 2015 | 62.7% | 58.2% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 39.6%2025 | 152/187 | 28/31 | 43.4% | 42.7% | 47.0% | −7.0 ppsince 2015 | 51.4% | 39.2% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 53.8%2025 | 124/187 | 24/31 | 61.9% | 59.4% | 53.0% | −6.4 ppsince 2015 | 59.3% | 55.6% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 4.9%2025 | 104/187 | 22/31 | 3.9% | 4.1% | 11.0% | −1.2 ppsince 2015 | 5.5% | 4.5% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 6.4%2025 | 84/187 | 18/31 | 3.9% | 5.5% | 14.1% | −2.6 ppsince 2015 | 6.5% | 4.9% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 8.5%2025 | 134/187 | 24/31 | 6.6% | 7.5% | 17.1% | −2.5 ppsince 2015 | 12.2% | 13.1% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 29.0%2025 | 35/170 | 3/28 | · | 26.2% | 31.9%2021 | +2.1 ppsince 2015 | 18.1% | 21.8% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 55.9%2025 | 120/187 | 25/31 | 52.1% | 50.2% | 54.4% | +1.8 ppsince 2015 | 64.4% | 29.6% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 33.9%2025 | 79/187 | 12/31 | 38.6% | 38.1% | 35.4% | −3.9 ppsince 2015 | 31.5% | 65.5% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 22.4%2025 | 78/187 | 7/31 | 26.7% | 28.0% | 23.6% | +1.4 ppsince 2015 | 12.7% | 39.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 21.6%2025 | 67/187 | 7/31 | 25.6% | 21.3% | 23.6% | −2.1 ppsince 2015 | 20.5% | 22.4% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 55.9%2025 | 105/187 | 26/31 | 47.7% | 50.7% | 52.9% | +0.7 ppsince 2015 | 66.8% | 37.8% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Unemployment−1.2 pp4.9% in 2025
- Female unemployment−2.6 pp6.4% in 2025
- Youth unemployment−2.5 pp8.5% in 2025
- Wage workers+1.8 pp55.9% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Women's participation−7.0 pp39.6% in 2025
- Employment rate−6.4 pp53.8% in 2025
- Youth NEET rate+2.1 pp29.0% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Honduras and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Honduras. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Honduras | Guatemala | Nicaragua | El Salvador |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 4.3m2025 | 7.7m2025 | 3.3m2025 | 3.0m2025 |
| Participation rate | 56.6%2025 | 59.6%2025 | 66.1%2025 | 62.1%2025 |
| Women's participation | 39.6%2025 | 38.3%2025 | 51.3%2025 | 49.1%2025 |
| Employment rate | 53.8%2025 | 58.1%2025 | 62.7%2025 | 60.1%2025 |
| Unemployment | 4.9%2025 | 2.6%2025 | 5.0%2025 | 3.3%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 6.4%2025 | 3.3%2025 | 5.2%2025 | 3.6%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 8.5%2025 | 4.8%2025 | 9.5%2025 | 7.8%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 29.0%2025 | 22.3%2025 | 24.5%2014 | 19.1%2025 |
| Wage workers | 55.9%2025 | 60.9%2025 | 55.7%2025 | 64.3%2025 |