Latin America

57% Adult population financially excluded

85,179 75% Female borrowers % #

207,783 Total FINCA clients

43,817 42% Borrowers in rural areas Rural outreach is especially high in Ecuador and Guatemala. % #

113,706 Total FINCA borrowers

49% Adult population financially excluded

7,045 57% Female borrowers Like its peers in the region, FINCA Ecuador maintains a high level of outreach to women. % #

52,134 Total FINCA clients

6,341 51% Borrowers in rural areas Along with Guatemala, FINCA Ecuador has a comparatively high rate of rural outreach. % #

12,434 Total FINCA borrowers

56% Adult population financially excluded

14,166 64% Female borrowers Second-highest in the world, right after FINCA Haiti. % #

22,185 Total FINCA clients

11,758 53% Borrowers in rural areas Highest outside of Eurasia. % #

22,185 Total FINCA borrowers

72% Adult population financially excluded

53,183 90% Female borrowers % #

59,407 Total FINCA clients

23,763 40% Borrowers in rural areas % #

59,407 Total FINCA borrowers

57% Adult population financially excluded

10,785 55% Female borrowers % #

74,057 Total FINCA clients Honduras has more non-borrowing customers than any other subsidiary in the region.

6,298 32% Borrowers in rural areas % #

19,680 Total FINCA borrowers

View All Financial Inclusion Data

Financial exclusion is high in Latin America, especially for women and the poor. Only 37 percent of woemn have access to a bank account in the countries where we work, compared to 46 percent of men. That figure falls even further to 27 percent for those at the bottom of the ladder.

Three out of four borrowers are women, putting Latin America in the lead on female outreach. In addition, Guatemala and Ecuador also have significant rural outreach, while Honduras and Nicaragua are operating in more urban markets. Most of FINCA's subsidiaries in Latin America are medium-sized, with 25 to 50 thousand borrowers. Nevertheless, three of them -- Honduras, Ecuador and Nicaragua -- have been licensed to take deposits, which allows them to offer a wider range of services beyond credit. In fact, savers outnumber borrowers by more than 2 to 1 in Ecuador and Honduras, showing that there is robust demand for services that allow people to safely store and accumulate their savings.

Living Standards

Latin America:
Quality of Life

17,949 16% Client homes without water % #

30,701 27% Client homes without electricity % #

54,278 48% Client homes without access to Internet % #

27,179 24% Clients who don’t own their home % #

67,804 60% Head of household with primary education or less % #

995 8% Client homes without water % #

0 0% Client homes without electricity % #

2,487 20% Client homes without access to Internet % #

1,492 12% Clients who don’t own their home % #

4,675 38% Head of household with primary education or less % #

3,328 15% Client homes without water % #

2,219 10% Client homes without electricity % #

9,318 42% Client homes without access to Internet % #

3,328 15% Clients who don’t own their home % #

17,060 77% Head of household with primary education or less This is the second-highest percentage in the world, just after Afghanistan. % #

7,723 13% Client homes without water % #

23,169 39% Client homes without electricity % #

32,436 55% Client homes without access to Internet % #

19,604 33% Clients who don’t own their home % #

32,614 55% Head of household with primary education or less % #

5,904 30% Client homes without water % #

5,314 27% Client homes without electricity % #

10,037 51% Client homes without access to Internet % #

2,755 14% Clients who don’t own their home % #

13,454 68% Head of household with primary education or less % #

View All Living Standards Data

FINCA's clients in Latin America face serious challenges in their daily life. In Honduras, about a third of our borrowers lack water and/or electricity in their homes. In the whole region, nearly half of our clients live in a household where the main earner has less than a secondary education. In Guatemala, this figure is over 75 percent, placing it right ahead of Afghanistan, a country which has been at war for most of the last several decades.

These results sharpen the focus on improving the educational attainment and income-earning potential of our clients' children, so they can break the cycle of poverty. FINCA's mission is to provide tools and financial resources to these families -- especially the mothers -- so they can provide a basic quality of life that will foster this change from one generation to the next.

Income & Employment

Latin America:
Income & Employment

$2,824 26% Average annual profit Haiti and Honduras only. Nicaragua to be included later in 2018, % #

2.5 Average # of employees per client enterprise Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua only

200,427 People employed in FINCA-funded enterprises Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua only.

57,672 29% Employees hired due to FINCA loan Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua only. % #

50,791 26% Wages paid above the poverty line Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua only. % #

No data has been collected yet for this indicator in Ecuador.

The support of FINCA donors is vital to our efforts to understand our clients and better serve them. Please Donate to support this important work.

No data has been collected yet for this indicator in Guatemala.

The support of FINCA donors is vital to our efforts to understand our clients and better serve them. Please Donate to support this important work.

$1,799 22% Average annual profit % #

2.7 Average # of employees per client enterprise

160,298 People employed in FINCA-funded enterprises

49,738 31% Employees hired due to FINCA loan % #

38,472 24% Wages paid above the poverty line % #

$5,920 40% Average annual profit % #

2.0 Average # of employees per client enterprise

40,129 People employed in FINCA-funded enterprises

7,934 20% Employees hired due to FINCA loan % #

12,320 31% Wages paid above the poverty line % #

Explore FINCA Loan Sectors

FINCA has completed its Enterprise Survey in Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua. The data we have so far shows that Latin America is very close to the global average in most employment and income indicators. The typical FINCA client employs 2.5 people in her business, including herself. A quarter of this employment is due to the loan from FINCA. Profits comprise about 30 percent of total sales. Competition is very stiff, however, so the vast majority of paid workers are earning wages below the national poverty line. Many of our Latin American clients are themselves quite poor, and their businesses are usually a means of surviving under tough circumstances.

View All Income & Employment Data

Women’s Empowerment

Latin America:
Empowering Women

85,179 75% Female borrowers % #

22,249 20% Clients with female-headed household % #

52,533 46% Households with female as main earner % #

62,943 79.6% Businesses run by women % #

142,651 51% Women employed by enterprises Avg. #

167,167 82% Jobs created by women % #

7,045 57% Female borrowers Like its peers in the region, FINCA Ecuador maintains a high level of outreach to women. % #

905 7% Clients with female-headed household % #

5,792 47% Households with female as main earner % #

14,166 64% Female borrowers Second-highest in the world, right after FINCA Haiti. % #

2,279 10% Clients with female-headed household % #

5,697 26% Households with female as main earner Guatemala is exceptional in that most of our female clients are secondary earners. % #

53,183 90% Female borrowers % #

14,514 24% Clients with female-headed household % #

32,117 54% Households with female as main earner % #

48,892 82.3% Businesses run by women % #

68,912 43% Women employed by enterprises Avg. #

140,742 88% Jobs created by women % #

10,785 55% Female borrowers % #

4,551 23% Clients with female-headed household % #

8,927 45% Households with female as main earner % #

14,052 71.4% Businesses run by women Note that this is higher than the number of female borrowers, because the data are from an Enterprise survey, which is done separately from the household survey. % #

30,307 76% Women employed by enterprises Avg. #

26,425 66% Jobs created by women % #

View All Women’s Empowerment Data

FINCA subsidiaries in Latin America excel in reaching women, most of whom are the primary breadwinner in their households. In Nicaragua and Honduras, about half of these women are also single parents who carry the full burden of their family's well-being. By contrast, our clients in Guatemala are living in more traditional rural families and contributing supplementary income to their household.

Whatever their family situation, virtually all of the women in Latin America are running their own enterprises. In other regions, it is relatively more common for men to be involved in our clients' businesses. Unsurprisingly, Latin America is the only region in which the employees in our clients' firms are also mostly women, showing that female entrepreneurs can a driving force in creating jobs for other women.

Clients’ Goals

Goals Set By FINCA Borrowers

Goals Met By FINCA Borrowers

6,539 12% Start a business % #

48,532 49% Expand a business % #

857 6% Invest in education % #

8,368 20% Improve their home % #

2,792 7% Buy an asset % #

3,933 4% Pay down debts % #

No data has been collected yet for this indicator in Ecuador.

The support of FINCA donors is vital to our efforts to understand our clients and better serve them. Please Donate to support this important work.

No data has been collected yet for this indicator in Guatemala.

The support of FINCA donors is vital to our efforts to understand our clients and better serve them. Please Donate to support this important work.

3,743 6% Start a business % #

41,941 71% Expand a business % #

535 1% Invest in education % #

3,267 6% Improve their home % #

119 0% Buy an asset % #

2,673 5% Pay down debts % #

2,796 14% Start a business % #

6,591 33% Expand a business % #

323 2% Invest in education % #

5,101 26% Improve their home % #

2,673 14% Buy an asset % #

1,260 6% Pay down debts % #

5,625 93% Start a business % #

35,345 89% Expand a business % #

767 93% Invest in education % #

6,042 87% Improve their home % #

2,118 89% Buy an asset % #

1,855 95% Pay down debts % #

No data has been collected yet for this indicator in Ecuador.

The support of FINCA donors is vital to our efforts to understand our clients and better serve them. Please Donate to support this important work.

No data has been collected yet for this indicator in Guatemala.

The support of FINCA donors is vital to our efforts to understand our clients and better serve them. Please Donate to support this important work.

3,290 88% Start a business % #

30,072 72% Expand a business % #

475 89% Invest in education % #

1,859 57% Improve their home % #

0 0% Buy an asset % #

1,024 38% Pay down debts % #

2,335 84% Start a business % #

5,273 80% Expand a business % #

292 90% Invest in education % #

4,182 82% Improve their home % #

2,118 79% Buy an asset % #

831 66% Pay down debts % #

View All Clients’ Goals Data

Each borrower comes to FINCA with a unique goal in mind. In Haiti, most of our clients are focused on expanding their businesses. Meanwhile, in Honduras, clients are striving for a wider range of goals, including improving their home, and purchasing assets.

Nicaragua's client survey is presently in the field -- check back in the fall of 2018 to see the results.

Special Topics

FINCA Loan Sectors

86,646 76% Trade % #

15,126 13% Services % #

7,623 7% Manufacturing % #

0 0% Crops % #

3,596 3% Livestock % #

No data has been collected yet for this indicator in Ecuador.

The support of FINCA donors is vital to our efforts to understand our clients and better serve them. Please Donate to support this important work.

No data has been collected yet for this indicator in Guatemala.

The support of FINCA donors is vital to our efforts to understand our clients and better serve them. Please Donate to support this important work.

51,328 86% Trade % #

5,703 10% Services % #

1,960 3% Manufacturing % #

0 0% Crops % #

0 0% Livestock % #

8,938 45% Trade % #

4,818 24% Services % #

3,342 17% Manufacturing % #

0 0% Crops % #

2,501 13% Livestock % #

Profit and Profit/Sales Ratio by Sector

$3,004 26% Trade Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit

3,734 29% Services Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit

$3,063 35% Manufacturing Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit

$0 0% Crops Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit

$1,612 11% Livestock Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit

No data has been collected yet for this indicator in Ecuador.

The support of FINCA donors is vital to our efforts to understand our clients and better serve them. Please Donate to support this important work.

No data has been collected yet for this indicator in Guatemala.

The support of FINCA donors is vital to our efforts to understand our clients and better serve them. Please Donate to support this important work.

$1,595 21% Trade Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit

3,413 27% Services Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit

$2,810 33% Manufacturing Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit

0 0% Crops Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit

0 0% Livestock Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit

$7,256 40% Trade Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit

4,706 37% Services Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit

$3,830 40% Manufacturing Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit

0 0% Crops Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit

$6,477 46% Livestock Profit/sales ratio Avg. profit

Jobs by Sector Due to FINCA Loan

43,275 75% Trade % #

8382 15% Services % #

4,436 8% Manufacturing % #

0 0% Crops % #

1,579 3% Livestock % #

No data has been collected yet for this indicator in Ecuador.

The support of FINCA donors is vital to our efforts to understand our clients and better serve them. Please Donate to support this important work.

No data has been collected yet for this indicator in Guatemala.

The support of FINCA donors is vital to our efforts to understand our clients and better serve them. Please Donate to support this important work.

40,261 81% Trade % #

6199 12% Services % #

3,278 7% Manufacturing % #

0 0% Crops % #

0 0% Livestock % #

3,014 38% Trade % #

2183 28% Services % #

1,158 15% Manufacturing % #

0 0% Crops % #

1,579 20% Livestock % #