Country Profile — Honduras: The Perils of Remittance Dependence and Clandestine Migration

Country Profile — Honduras: The Perils of Remittance Dependence and Clandestine Migration

Honduras has a population of just over 8 million and an economy primarily driven by exports — propped up in no small way by remittances. Honduran emigration escalated in the late 1990s and early 2000s — later than emigration from other Central American countries, whose respective civil wars sent waves of migrants to the United States well before the 2000s. This article examines the history of modern Honduran migration, tracing the rise of emigration to the United States as a dominant economic force, and exploring migration trends, policies, and impacts on Honduran society.

KJ