Honduras vs Nicaragua
Honduras vs Nicaragua: Government debt
Government debt in 2025: 40.3% of GDP in Honduras and 34.6% of GDP in Nicaragua, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Honduras, by 5.7 percentage points, or 1.16 times that in Nicaragua.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Honduras has been higher since 2024, when it overtook Nicaragua.
- In 2025, Honduras ranked 104 and Nicaragua ranked 117 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Honduras at 38.3% of GDP and Nicaragua at 26.8% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Honduras | Nicaragua |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 40.3 | 34.6 |
| 2024 | 42.2 | 37.9 |
| 2023 | 42.1 | 42.4 |
| 2022 | 46.9 | 45.9 |
| 2021 | 52.7 | 48.4 |
| 2020 | 54.3 | 49.2 |
| 2019 | 44.1 | 44.2 |
| 2018 | 43.2 | 39.1 |
| 2017 | 42.2 | 34.7 |
| 2016 | 40.3 | 30.9 |
| 2015 | 39.3 | 28.9 |
| 2014 | 36.3 | 28.7 |
| 2013 | 38.6 | 28.8 |
| 2012 | 28.4 | 27.9 |
| 2011 | 26.1 | 28.8 |
| 2010 | 23.4 | 30.4 |
| 2009 | 25.5 | 29.3 |
| 2008 | 22.3 | 26 |
| 2007 | 24 | 30.9 |
| 2006 | 39.2 | 51.2 |
| 2005 | 55.6 | 66.6 |
| 2004 | 60.9 | 84.1 |
| 2003 | 67.8 | 109.5 |
| 2002 | 64.3 | 110.4 |
| 2001 | 63.4 | 87.5 |
| 2000 | 65.8 | 95.2 |
| 1999 | 75.8 | 99.8 |
| 1998 | 67.4 | 86.5 |
| 1997 | 70.8 | 86.4 |
| 1996 | 64.6 | – |
| 1995 | 65.4 | – |
| 1994 | 85.5 | – |
| 1993 | 111.7 | – |
| 1992 | 123.2 | – |
| 1991 | 135.4 | – |
| 1990 | 236.5 | – |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Honduras | Nicaragua |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 44 | 31.7 |
| 2027 | 42.3 | 28.8 |
| 2028 | 41.3 | 28.4 |
| 2029 | 40.2 | 27.9 |
| 2030 | 39.2 | 27 |
| 2031 | 38.3 | 26.8 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 149 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Honduras vs Nicaragua
Health
- Life expectancyHonduras: 72.9 years in 2023Nicaragua: 75 years in 2023
- Child mortalityHonduras: 1.5 per 100 live births in 2024Nicaragua: 1.1 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityHonduras: 13 per 1,000 live births in 2023Nicaragua: 12.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterHonduras: 65.2% in 2022Nicaragua: 55.5% in 2020
- DepressionHonduras: 2.75% in 2017Nicaragua: 2.85% in 2017
- Suicide rateHonduras: 4.4 per 100,000 people in 2017Nicaragua: 5.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationHonduras: 10.6 million people in 2023Nicaragua: 6.82 million people in 2023
- Population growthHonduras: 1.7% a year in 2023Nicaragua: 1.36% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateHonduras: 2.5 births per woman in 2023Nicaragua: 2.22 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationHonduras: 59.3% in 2025Nicaragua: 59.4% in 2025
- Median ageHonduras: 23.6 years in 2023Nicaragua: 25.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overHonduras: 4.3% in 2023Nicaragua: 5.4% in 2023
- Net migration rateHonduras: -0.5 per 1,000 people in 2023Nicaragua: -1.2 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingHonduras: 1.46% of GDP in 2025Nicaragua: 0.56% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsHonduras: $582M in 2025Nicaragua: $115M in 2025
- Military spending per personHonduras: $53 in 2025Nicaragua: $17 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingHonduras: 5.7% of government spending in 2025Nicaragua: 2.1% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelHonduras: 23,000 people in 2020Nicaragua: 12,000 people in 2020
- National powerHonduras: 0.06% of world capability in 2022Nicaragua: 0.04% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersHonduras: 0.56% of the labour force in 2020Nicaragua: 0.41% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsHonduras: 7 million TIV in 2024Nicaragua: 13 million TIV in 2019