FDI in Honduras was almost 535 million dollars at the end of the first nine months of 2025. This information was shared recently by the country’s central bank.
Foreign investment in Honduras in 2025 was received unevenly throughout the year. During the first three months, the country collected 294.7 million dollars. In the second quarter, it received 129.2 million, and between July and September, the Central Bank of Honduras (BCH) obtained 110.9 million.
According to the BCH, in comparative terms, until September of 2025, foreign investment in Honduras decreased by 11.28% from the same period in 2024, when it totaled 602.8 million dollars.
The authority mentioned that to achieve the expectation set for this year, to collect more than the 993.9 million dollars that entered the country’s coffers during 2024, the last quarter must have a new pace of investments.
Foreign investment in Honduras in 2025: A year of adjustment and opportunity
Honduras received around 534.8 million dollars during the first three quarters of 2025. This total represents an 11.28% drop compared to the same period in 2024, when it collected 602.8 million dollars, which indicates that to reach the forecast set for the current year, to obtain more than 993.9 million dollars registered in 2024, it would be necessary to have an uptick in investment in the last quarter of the year.
Knowing the trends of foreign investment in Honduras in 2025
How has the performance of each sector been, and how is the structural transformation being reshaped?
In its quarterly analysis, the Central Bank of Honduras (BCH) described how each sector performed in the third quarter of 2025, and how foreign investment in Honduras is helping to reshape the nation’s economy.
The financial and insurance activities sector, with its $182.2 million, was propelled by reinvested earnings and an increase in the equity of foreign-controlled banks, who see Honduras as an ideal springboard to expand throughout Central America and consolidate financial intermediation.
The subsector of transportation, storage, and communications generated new foreign investment inflows of $147.6 million, as multinational companies advanced the modernization of the ports, the distribution and logistics centers, and the country’s digital backbone, all of which are essential to competitiveness. These commitments reflect how foreign investment in Honduras can be leveraged to increase productivity throughout the supply chain, lower logistics costs, and gain access to new technologies.
Investment and profit repatriation, the challenge
On the other hand, the manufacturing sector recorded a contraction of $178.8 million due to the repatriation of dividends that corporations opted for rather than reinvesting their earnings locally. This change more closely reflects a decision by the boards of directors of Honduran companies than a sign of operational decline. Still, it does point to a challenge that remains: making the most of the profits generated in the country.
The maquiladora industry also lost $84.8 million as account receivables grew and capital contributions fell. Global rebalancing of supply chains, uncertainty among consumers and tighter financial conditions have led companies to take a wait-and-see approach that has postponed expansion plans until it is clearer how external demand will recover.
Foreign Investment in Honduras in 2025: Where the Capital is Coming From
North America: A transitory reduction
Foreign direct investment in Honduras in 2925 from North America decreased by $101.3 million in the third quarter, as U.S.-owned maquila companies preferred to redirect cash flows and hold receivables abroad, and Mexican-owned corporations increased dividend repatriation.
Although this has an adverse short-term effect on the numbers, North America will remain the most important region of origin for foreign investment due to geographical proximity, trade preferences, and nearshoring potential.
Central America and the Caribbean: Strategic consolidation
Central American investors represented $46.8 million of the net flows, mainly from Guatemalan companies that chose to reinvest their profits in financial services, commerce, and manufacturing. Familiarity, shared markets, and cross-border partnerships will continue to strengthen ties in the years to come.
The Caribbean registered $43.5 million thanks to an increase in liabilities with related firms in the transportation, storage, and communications sectors and reinvested earnings of Virgin Islands companies that have operations in mining and energy generation. These figures show how corporate networks, rather than country-specific strategies, are increasingly the way investment decisions are being made in the region.
Latin America outside the region
Countries in the rest of the Americas also contributed $165.3 million to the total, especially Colombia and Panama. This capital was channeled to support financial operations and utilities such as electricity and water. Many of the companies that invest from these countries tend to be long-term infrastructure investors, which means they reinforce stability and continuity even in periods of greater global uncertainty.
Why FDI in Honduras matters for long-term growth
Asia, Europe, and new routes to explore
Investors from Asia and Oceania made commitments that totaled $18.8 million, mainly via an increase in liabilities with subsidiaries and reinvested earnings in telecommunications, electricity, and energy generation. These flows, small relative to those of the big investors, show a gradual diversification of partners and a growing perception that Honduras could become a bridge between continents in logistics and manufacturing activities.
Europe posted a net outflow of $89.8 million, also related to lower reinvested profits in the manufacturing sector. Lower growth rates in Europe, higher financing costs, and corporate restructuring were part of the equation that led companies to make those capital allocation decisions.
The legal environment: one of the most important tools
To the extent that today’s foreign investment in Honduras reflects a movement towards an economy in which services, financial intermediation and infrastructure play a more relevant role, the policies needed to capitalize on these changes are focused on simplifying administrative procedures, offering a more predictable tax treatment, improving security conditions, ensuring stable supply of electricity, as well as modernizing ports, roads and telecommunications systems.
The reforms intended to encourage companies to reinvest their profits domestically instead of sending them abroad should, if implemented effectively, help anchor sustainable foreign investment in Honduras in the years to come, thus boosting employment and innovation.
The main opportunities for the future of FDI in Honduras
Renewable energies, logistics corridors, added value to agriculture, and higher value-added manufacturing
In the long term, Honduras has significant, untapped potential in several strategic areas, such as renewable energy development, logistics corridors that connect to regional trade, the productive upgrading of agriculture that moves production up the value chain, and higher-value-added manufacturing, including electronics, medical devices, and automotive components.
Public-private partnerships and transparent concession frameworks will be key to turning these opportunities into stable capital inflows and long-term infrastructure improvements.
Strategies to promote foreign investment in Honduras
Institutional credibility and human capital development
In order to obtain greater and more continuous capital flows over time, Honduras must continue with the deepening of institutional reforms. Investors look at the financial feasibility of projects, but they also assess the predictability of the rules, the efficiency of the judicial system, and the effectiveness of contract enforcement.
Equally important is the country’s human capital. A technical training expansion, bilingual education, and digital skills will allow companies to find qualified labor and, at the same time, help workers access better-paying jobs. Stronger labor productivity will increase the rate of return on foreign investment in Honduras, making the country more competitive compared to other regional economies.
Outlook: between risks and opportunities
A reality check with the future in sight
Uncertainty, fluctuating interest rates, and geopolitical tensions in global financial markets will continue to condition capital flows. However, Honduras is in a better position than in previous cycles, due to the improvement in the management of public finances, the deepening of regional integration, and the strengthening of a logistics and financial services ecosystem.
If the government manages to sustain its reforms – and the companies receive credible signals of continuity – it is possible that Honduras can gradually regain its pace and attract new capital. The great challenge will be to convert episodic inflows into a pipeline of stable projects that create employment, bring new technology, and integrate local suppliers.
In that sense, the next phase of foreign investment in Honduras will depend as much on domestic decisions as on external conditions and trends. With disciplined planning and a clear vision of an investment strategy, the country can use these ups and downs to its advantage in its development.