Remittance Recipients in Honduras: A Socioeconomic Profile

This analytic brief presents the results of a quantitative analysis of the socioeconomic characteristics of the beneficiaries of international remittances in Honduras. The analysis is based on household survey data from the 2014 Encuesta Permanente de Hogares de Propósitos Múltiples (EPHPM - Spanish acronym), which was carried out by the National Institute of Statistics of the Republic of Honduras. 

The survey has a sample size of 5,593 households (24,023 individuals) and is representative at the country level as well as for urban and rural areas. The survey covers all departments of Honduras except for Gracias a Dios y Islas de la Bahía. The brief presents the following key findings:

• Almost one of every six Hondurans benefits from international remittances;
• 69% of remittance recipients in Honduras are women;
• Female-headed households receive monthly amounts of remittances that are on average 58% higher than those received by male-headed households;
• 88% of all recipient households report using remittances to cover daily consumption expenditures. Two in five remittance recipient households also report using them to cover medical expenses;
• 83% of recipient households can be classified as poor or at risk of falling into poverty; 
• On average, remittances constitute 38% of the total monthly household income of remittance recipient households. This share is even greater among rural and female-led households, as well as among households led by adolescents or young adults.