| Northern Triangle of Central America | |
|---|---|
.png) Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador | |
| Population |  33,814,380 (2024 est.)[1][2][3] |
| Largest city | Tegucigalpa |
| Countries | Sovereign states (3) |
| Time zone | Central time |
TheNorthern Triangle of Central America (NTCA) is a term used in theUnited States to refer collectively to the threeCentral American countries ofGuatemala,Honduras, andEl Salvador. The term is used with respect to the countries'economic integration,[4] and their shared challenges, including widespread poverty, violence, and corruption, which have prompted many to becomerefugees fleeing the three nations.[5]
The Northern Triangle is one of theWestern Hemisphere's poorest regions; as of 2018, all three countries were in the bottom 20% ofLatin American nations byGDP per capita. An estimated 60% of Hondurans and Guatemalans subsist below their nationalpoverty lines in those countries, much higher than other Latin American nations. Collectively,remittances make up nearly 18% of the Northern Triangle'seconomic output.[5] The group of countries has signed trade agreements withColombia,[6][7] theUnited States, andMexico. The agreement with Mexico began in 2001, later involved theMesoamerica Project, and expanded toCosta Rica andNicaragua in 2011.
The Northern Triangle has struggles with chronic violence, attributable to longstandingcivil war and political instability in the region. During theCold War, these three countries were the site of proxy wars and political instability, collectively known as theCentral American crisis. These wars included theGuatemalan Civil War and theSalvadoran Civil War.
These countries have ongoing struggles with expansive criminal networks, such as thetransnational criminal organizations, including18th Street (M-18) andMara Salvatrucha (MS-13).[5] Harsh anti-crime policies (known asLa Mano Dura), enacted by Northern Triangle governments starting in the early 2000s, in most cases failed to reduce crime and may have backfired by dramatically expanding prison populations, a fertile ground for gang recruitment.[5] This region has one of the highestrates of intentional homicide for a country. According to the United Nations, in 2016 there were 27.26 homicides per 100,000 inhabitantsin Guatemala, 82.84in El Salvador, and 56.52in Honduras.[8] The homicide rate declined somewhat by 2019—with 22 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in Guatemala, 32 per 100,000 inhabitants in El Salvador, and 40 per 100,000 inhabitants in Honduras—but remained markedly high.[5]
The Northern Triangle has also experienced high rates of both emigration and migration. Research conducted by the PEW Research Center found that between the years 2007 and 2015, the number of emigrants from this region into the US has risen by 25%.[9] According to surveys and other research conducted in this region, the majority migration and emigration levels can be attributed to the social, economic and environmental plight they face.[10][5]Climate change is a major driver of emigration from the region.[11]
