weighted score 5.8 · nine dimensions
Country Risk Profile
Honduras
Sourcing risk, regulatory exposure and audit intelligence for Honduras-origin supply chains.
Forced & child labour
7
TVPRA listings for coffee, lobster, melons, and palm oil. Gang-related coercion creates informal forced labour conditions that social audits may not capture.
Worker rights & FOA
6
Freedom of association legally protected but trade union leaders face documented violence and intimidation. One of the highest rates of attacks on labour organisers in the Americas.
OHS & audit transparency
6
Occupational health and safety enforcement is weak. Audit infrastructure limited outside export-oriented maquila operations. Gang influence complicates independent verification.
Food & product safety
5
Coffee and agricultural exports generally meet buyer specifications. Domestic food safety regulation enforcement is inconsistent. Lobster and seafood sectors have documented safety concerns.
Environmental & regulatory
6
EUDR exposure for palm oil and coffee. Deforestation in Aguán valley documented. Environmental regulation exists but enforcement capacity is limited.
Governance & anti-corruption
8
TI CPI 2024: 23/100 — among the lowest in the Americas. Weak institutional independence. Corruption pervasive across public administration and judiciary.
Tariff & preferential access
2
EU-Central America Association Agreement provides preferential tariff access. US-CAFTA-DR in force. Favourable trade framework for key export categories.
Non-tariff barriers
5
EUDR due diligence requirements for palm oil and coffee will create compliance burden. TVPRA listings may trigger enhanced scrutiny at US border for listed goods.
Supply chain traceability
7
Smallholder coffee supply chains are difficult to trace to plot level. Palm oil traceability feasible but requires investment. Multi-tier opacity in garment supply chains.
Labour & Social Risk
Labour & Social Risk
- TVPRA listings
- US Department of Labor TVPRA list includes Honduran coffee, lobster, melons, and palm oil as goods produced with forced labour or child labour. These listings create due diligence obligations for buyers sourcing these categories.
- Union & worker safety
- Trade union leaders and labour activists face documented violence and intimidation. Honduras has one of the highest rates of attacks on union organisers in the Americas. Freedom of association is legally protected but practically constrained.
- Gang influence on labour
- MS-13 and Barrio 18 gangs exert significant influence on labour markets in urban and peri-urban areas. Extortion of workers and businesses is widespread. This creates an informal coercion layer that conventional social audits may not detect.
EU Regulatory Exposure
EU Regulatory Exposure
- EU-CA FTA
- Honduras benefits from the EU-Central America Association Agreement. Tariff score of 2 reflects preferential access for key agricultural and manufactured exports into the EU market.
- EUDR exposure
- Honduras is a significant producer of both palm oil and coffee — two of the seven EUDR-regulated commodities. Exporters will need to provide deforestation-free due diligence statements for EU-bound shipments from 2025/2026.
- Governance & corruption
- Transparency International CPI score of 23/100 places Honduras among the most corrupt countries in the Americas. This translates to a Governance score of 8, reflecting weak institutional capacity for regulatory enforcement and anti-corruption.
Supply Chain & Traceability
Supply Chain & Traceability
- Coffee traceability
- Honduran coffee supply chains involve thousands of smallholders, making plot-level traceability challenging. Cooperatives provide some aggregation and certification infrastructure, but full EUDR-grade geolocation coverage will require significant investment.
- Palm oil chains
- Palm oil production is concentrated in the Aguán valley, where land tenure disputes and deforestation have been documented. Traceability to plantation level is feasible but requires buyer-driven due diligence beyond standard certification.