Economy - overview: Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Agriculture employs nearly two-thirds of the labor force and produces two-thirds of exports. Productivity remains low. Manufacturing, mining, and construction account for 30 % of GDP and generate 20% of exports. Basic problems include rapid population growth, high underemployment, inflation, a lack of basic services, a large and inefficient public sector, and the dependence of the export sector mostly on coffee and bananas, which are subject to sharp price fluctuations.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $11.5 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,000 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture : 28% industry: 30% services: 42% (1995)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 25.4% (1996)
Labor force: total: 1.3 million by occupation: agriculture 62%, services 20%, manufacturing 9%, construction 3%, other 6% (1985)
Unemployment rate: 15%; underemployed about 40% (1996 est.)
Budget: revenues: $655 million expenditures: $850 million, including capital expenditures of $150 million (1997 est.)
Industries: sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products