Population Information

Population: 6,823,568

Population Growth Rate: 2.24% (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 29.64 deaths/1000 live births

Economic Information

Gross Domestic Product: $17.55 billion (2003 est.)

GDP growth rate: 3% (2003 est.)

GDP per capita: $2,600 (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate: 27.5% (2003 est.)

Estimated underemployment:

Population below poverty line: 53% (1993 est.)

Main export products: coffee, bananas, shrimp, lobster, meat; zinc, lumber (2000)

Main import countries: US 53.1%, El Salvador 4.5%, Mexico 3% (2003)

Debt: $5.246 billion (2003)

[Honduras is one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere and is frequently dependent on the aid of the US. The economy is based on agriculture; bananas and coffee are the most important exports. The vast banana plantations, established by U.S. companies, are mainly along the northern coast. Timber, minerals, beef, and seafood are also exported. Other important food crops include corn, beans, rice, and sugarcane. The country's economy was severely disrupted by a hurricane in 1998. Which left 5,600 people dead and thousands missing with much of the country's crops and livestock were destroyed.]

Sources: www.cia.gov (CIA World Factbook)