THE NORTHERN TRIANGLE IN DATA

The Central America Monitor presents robust quantitative data primarily obtained through official information requests in several key areas. These data assess advances, setbacks, or stalling on specific human rights and rule of law issues from 2014 to 2021. Below, start by viewing the data regionally or clicking on a country. Then, select a section. Under each section, select a specific indicator to explore the corresponding data points. You may also download the raw data or share the graphics.

EVALUATING PROGRESS MONITORING ASSISTANCE

Note: In Guatemala, the data shown are derived from estimated population statistics published by the Guatemalan government. They were last updated in 2019; consequently the data here differ from the data published in the Central America Monitor’s baseline reports.

Sources: National Institute of Statistics of Honduras; National Institute of Statistics of Guatemala; data for El Salvador rely on several sources: General Directorate of Statistics and Censuses; United Nations Population Fund; Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Centre, Publication Division of ECLAC.

Notes: None of the three governments update their population projections annually by race or ethnicity. Consequently, the figures shown in a given year derive from the last census that took place: 2013 in Honduras; 2007 in El Salvador; and 2002 and 2018 in Guatemala. According to the groups denominated in the Guatemalan censuses, figures for this country include Mayan, Xinca, and Garífuna people.

Sources: 2013 population census of Honduras; 2007 population and housing census of El Salvador; 2002 and 2018 population censuses of Guatemala.

Notes: None of the three governments update their population projections annually by race or ethnicity. Consequently, the figures shown in a given year derive from the last census that took place: 2013 in Honduras and 2018 in Guatemala. El Salvador’s 2007 census and Guatemala’s 2002 censuses did not include denominations for afro-descendants.

Sources: 2013 population census of Honduras; 2007 population and housing census of El Salvador; 2002 and 2018 population censuses of Guatemala.

Sources: National Institute of Statistics of Honduras; General Directorate of Statistics and Censuses of El Salvador; World Bank.

Note: Figures shown were taken from the World Bank, which included the following note: “GDP at purchaser’s prices is the sum of gross value added by all resident producers in the economy plus any product taxes and minus any subsidies not included in the value of the products. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or for depletion and degradation of natural resources. Data are in current U.S. dollars. Dollar figures for GDP are converted from domestic currencies using single year official exchange rates. For a few countries where the official exchange rate does not reflect the rate effectively applied to actual foreign exchange transactions, an alternative conversion factor is used.”

Source: World Bank (accessed June 2021).

Note: All amounts have been converted to United States Dollars using exchange rates of 24.6 Honduran Lempiras and 7.7 Guatemalan Quetzales. In Honduras, the rates were calculated using the average minimum salary assuming a standard work day of eight hours. In El Salvador, the rates were calculated using the average minimum salary that the government established for different sectors: commerce and services; maquila and textiles; industry; crop collection; seasonal agriculture; and agricultural and livestock farming.

Sources: Ministry of Labor and Social Security and Central Bank of Honduras; Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare of El Salvador; Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare and Bank of Guatemala.

Notes: All amounts have been converted to United States Dollars using exchange rates of 24.6 Honduran Lempiras and 7.7 Guatemalan Quetzales. The figures shown were calculated to represent per capita costs of basic provisions, known as the “basic basket of goods” (canasta básica). In El Salvador, the figures represent the average cost of basic food provisions for rural and urban areas. In Guatemala, the figures represent the average rates of “basic vital goods” (canasta básica vital) and “basic expanded goods” (canasta básica ampliada) from January 2014 through September 2017, and the new “basic expanded goods” rate as of October 2017.

Sources: National Autonomous University of Honduras; General Directorate of Statistics and Censuses of El Salvador; National Statistics Institute of Guatemala.

Sources: National Statistics Institute of Honduras; General Directorate of Statistics and Censuses of El Salvador; National Statistics Institute of Guatemala.

Note: The poverty rate in Guatemala derives from the 2014 census. There are no available updated figures after this year, so we have listed the same rate for ensuing years.

Sources: National Statistics Institute of Honduras; General Directorate of Statistics and Censuses of El Salvador; National Statistics Institute of Guatemala.

Notes: The literacy rate refers to the percentage of people who can read and write, and includes: those older than 15 in Honduras; those older than 10 years in El Salvador; those older than 14 years in Guatemala.

Sources: National Statistics Institute of Honduras; General Directorate of Statistics and Censuses of El Salvador; National Statistics Institute of Guatemala; World Bank.

Sources: National Statistics Institute of Honduras; General Directorate of Statistics and Censuses of El Salvador; World Bank.

Note: In Honduras, the figures show the total number of judges and magistrates, as the Judiciary does not store information by year on the number of judges with criminal jurisdiction.

Sources: Judiciary and National Institute of Statistics of Honduras; Judiciary and General Directorate of Statistics and the Census of El Salvador; Judiciary and National Institute of Statistics of Guatemala.

Note: In Guatemala and Honduras, the figures show the total number of prosecutors, since data was not available on the number of prosecutors in criminal matters.

Sources: Public Prosecutor’s Office and National Institute of Statistics of Honduras; Public Prosecutor’s Office and General Directorate of Statistics and the Census of Guatemala; Public Prosecutor’s Office and National Institute of Statistics of El Salvador.

Sources: Public Prosecutor’s Office and National Institute of Statistics of Honduras; Institute of Forensic Medicine and General Directorate of Statistics and the Census of El Salvador; National Institute of Forensic Science and National Institute of Statistics of Guatemala.

Sources: Judiciary and National Institute of Statistics of Honduras; Public Defender’s Office of the Republic and General Directorate of Statistics and the Census of El Salvador; Institute of Criminal Public Defense and National Institute of Statistics of Guatemala.

Sources: National Police of Honduras, Special Commission to Purge and Transform the Honduran National Police, and National Institute of Statistics of Honduras; National Civilian Police and General Directorate of Statistics and the Census of El Salvador; National Civilian Police and National Institute of Statistics of Guatemala.

Note: The ministries of defense of all three countries denied our requests for information regarding the number of military personnel.

Sources: Ministry of Defense of Honduras; Ministry of Defense of El Salvador; Ministry of Defense of Guatemala.

Note: In Guatemala and Honduras, the figures show the total number of prosecutors, since data was not available on the number of prosecutors in criminal matters.

Sources: Public Prosecutor’s Office and National Institute of Statistics of Honduras; Public Prosecutor’s Office and General Directorate of Statistics and the Census of El Salvador; Public Prosecutor’s Office and National Institute of Statistics of Guatemala.

Note: In Honduras, the figures show the total number of judges and magistrates, as the Judiciary does not store information by year on the number of judges with criminal jurisdiction.

Sources: Public Prosecutor’s Office and National Institute of Statistics of Honduras; Institute of Forensic Medicine of El Salvador; National Institute of Forensic Science and National Institute of Statistics of Guatemala.

Note: The ministries of defense of Honduras and Guatemala denied our requests for information regarding the number of military personnel, including the number of troops dedicated to internal policing functions.

Sources: Ministry of Defense of Honduras; Ministry of Defense of El Salvador; Ministry of Defense of Guatemala.

Note: In Honduras, the figures show the proportion of women for the total number of judges and magistrates, as the Judiciary does not store information by year on the number of judges with criminal jurisdiction. In El Salvador, it was not possible to obtain data on the number of women in this position.

Sources: Judiciary and National Institute of Statistics of Honduras; Judiciary of El Salvador; Judiciary and National Institute of Statistics of Guatemala.

Note: In El Salvador, it was not possible to obtain data on the number of women in this position.

Sources: Judiciary and National Institute of Statistics of Honduras; Public Defender’s Office of the Republic of El Salvador; Institute of Criminal Public Defense and National Institute of Statistics of Guatemala.

Sources: National Police; National Civilian Police of El Salvador; National Civilian Police of Guatemala.

Note: The ministries of defense of all three countries denied our requests for information regarding the number of military personnel, including their breakdown by sex.

Sources: Ministry of Defense of Honduras; Ministry of Defense of El Salvador; Ministry of Defense of Guatemala.

Sources: Public Prosecutor’s Office of Honduras; Public Prosecutor’s Office of El Salvador; Public Prosecutor’s Office of Guatemala.

Note: In Guatemala and Honduras, the figures represent the total number of prosecutors, since data was not available on the number of prosecutors in criminal matters.

Sources: Public Prosecutor’s Office and National Institute of Statistics of Honduras; Public Prosecutor’s Office and General Directorate of Statistics and the Census of El Salvador; Public Prosecutor’s Office and National Institute of Statistics of Guatemala.

Note: In Honduras, the figures represent the total number of judges and magistrates, as the Judiciary does not store information by year on the number of judges with criminal jurisdiction.

Sources: National Police, Special Commission to Purge and Transform the Honduran National Police, and National Institute of Statistics of Honduras; National Civilian Police and General Directorate of Statistics and the Census of El Salvador; National Civilian Police and National Institute of Statistics of Guatemala.

Note: The ministries of defense of all three countries denied our requests for information regarding the number of military personnel.

Sources: Ministry of Defense of Honduras; Ministry of Defense of El Salvador; Ministry of Defense of Guatemala.

Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador have among the world’s highest homicide rates and high rates of extortion and sexual violence, even though the latter are gravely underreported. We chose these crimes, because while homicide is the serious crime that most affects males, sexual violence is the serious crime that most affects females, and extortion affects broad segments of all sectors of society. We show how few cases actually enter the justice system and end in sentencing, thus creating a cycle of impunity for even the worst crimes.

Note: Each country has a different classification for violent deaths of women, such as femicide and feminicide, as well as overall killings disaggregated by sex. The data shown includes relevant available total data from each country.

Sources: Public Prosecutor’s Office of Honduras; Public Prosecutor’s Office of El Salvador; National Civilian Police and Diálogos of Guatemala.

Sources: Public Prosecutor’s Office of Honduras; Public Prosecutor’s Office of El Salvador; Public Prosecutor’s Office of Guatemala.

Sources: Unit for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders in Guatemala. In Honduras, data was compiled from a variety of sources: Inter-American Commission on Human Rights; United Nations; National Human Rights Commission of Honduras; ACI-Participa; Center for Human Rights Promotion and Research; Frontline Defenders; National Democratic Institute; National Violence Observatory at the UNAH.

Sources: Public Prosecutor’s Office of Honduras; Public Prosecutor’s Office of El Salvador; Public Prosecutor’s Office of Guatemala.

Note: In Guatemala and El Salvador, the figures also include cases of abductions (plagio) and deprivation of liberty (privación de libertad), respectively.

Sources: Public Prosecutor’s Office of Honduras; Public Prosecutor’s Office of El Salvador; Public Prosecutor’s Office of Guatemala.