The National Congress of Honduras, led by Speaker Tomás Zambrano, approved the 2026 General Budget for Revenues and Expenditures this Tuesday, setting total spending at 444.34 billion lempiras. The budget prioritizes key sectors such as health, education, and infrastructure while aiming to strengthen fiscal discipline and economic stability.
Finance Minister Emilio Hernández Hércules told lawmakers that the budget is aligned with President Nasry Juan Asfura’s national development vision and is designed to address concrete challenges facing the country. He emphasized that it includes significant investment in infrastructure to improve connectivity, boost job creation, strengthen basic services, and directly support Honduran families and the productive sector.
According to Hernández Hércules, the 2026 budget marks a departure from past excesses, placing fiscal responsibility and macroeconomic stability at its core. He described fiscal discipline not as an end in itself, but as a tool to build public trust and attract investment.
The approved plan increases funding in several priority areas: education receives an additional 3.7 billion lempiras, health more than 2 billion, security 1.8 billion, and defense 1.524 billion. It also reinforces oversight and transparency by supporting institutions such as the Supreme Audit Court, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Institute for Access to Public Information, and the Office of the Attorney General.
Municipal governments will see an increase in transfers, rising from 5.8% to 7.3%, as part of efforts to strengthen local development. The budget was formulated under the principles of the Fiscal Responsibility Law, setting a fiscal deficit target of 1.0% and ensuring medium-term sustainability of public finances.
Compared to the original proposal, the budget was strategically reduced by 24.98 billion lempiras—a 5.3% cut—resulting in a more efficient and transparent allocation of public funds.
To stimulate economic growth, the budget includes 48.23 billion lempiras in public investment, equivalent to 4.4% of GDP, focused on strategic sectors such as energy and road infrastructure. This investment is intended to enhance national competitiveness, create quality jobs, and expand access to essential services, promoting inclusive and regionally balanced growth.
Resource management will follow principles of efficiency and transparency, including the use of a Single Treasury Account to streamline transfers and ensure timely delivery of benefits to the population.
To protect household income, especially among the most vulnerable, the government has allocated 6.82 billion lempiras in subsidies for fuel and electricity. Additionally, the budget prioritizes social and productive investment, dedicating 24.51 billion lempiras—5.5% of the total—to the Poverty Reduction Strategy 2022–2046.
The plan also incorporates a gender-focused approach to reduce inequality, along with major investments in healthcare infrastructure, including new hospitals in Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, and other regions. In education, funds will support school rehabilitation, student meal programs, and initiatives aimed at strengthening agro-industrial sustainability.
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