| Gracias a Dios Department | |
| Native Name: | Departamento de Gracias a Dios |
| Native Name Lang: | es |
| Settlement Type: | department |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Honduras |
| Coordinates: | 15.2667°N -129°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Honduras |
| Subdivision Type1: | Municipalities |
| Subdivision Name1: | 6 |
| Subdivision Type2: | Villages |
| Subdivision Name2: | 69 |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 21 February 1957 |
| Seat Type: | Capital city |
| Government Type: | Departmental |
| Leader Party: | PNH |
| Leader Title: | Governor |
| Leader Name: | Alberto Samuel Haylock (2014–2022) |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 15876 |
| Population As Of: | 2015 |
| Population Total: | 94450 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | GDP (Nominal, 2015 US dollar) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Total |
| Demographics1 Info1: | $100 million (2023)[1] |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Per capita |
| Demographics1 Info2: | $800 (2023) |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Total |
| Demographics2 Info2: | $200 million (2023) |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Per capita |
| Demographics2 Info3: | $1,800 (2023) |
| Timezone1: | CDT |
| Utc Offset1: | -6 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 33101 |
| Iso Code: | HN-GD |
| Blank Name Sec1: | HDI (2021) |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 0.550[2] · 17th of 18 |
| Footnotes: | Statistics derived from Consult INE online database: Population and Housing Census 2013[3] |
Gracias a Dios (pronounced as /es/; "Thanks to God" or "Thank God") is one of the 18 departments (departamentos) into which Honduras is divided. The departmental capital is Puerto Lempira; until 1975 it was Brus Laguna.
Once a part of the Mosquito Coast, it was formed in 1957 from all of Mosquitia territory and parts of Colón and Olancho departments, with the boundary running along 85° W from Cape Camarón south. The department is rather remote and inaccessible by land, although local airlines fly to the main cities.
Gracias a Dios department covers a total surface area of 16,997 km2 and, in 2015, had an estimated population of 94,450.
Although it is the second largest department in the country, it is sparsely populated, and contains extensive pine savannas, swamps, and rainforests. However, the expansion of the agricultural frontier is a perennial threat to the natural bounty of the department.
The department contains the Caratasca Lagoon, the largest lagoon in Honduras.
At the time of the 2013 Honduras census, Gracias a Dios Department had a population of 90,795. Of these, 81.15% were Indigenous (79.70% Miskito, 0.95% Mayangna), 16.30% Mestizo, 1.58% Black or Afro-Honduran, 0.82% White and 0.15% others.[4]
Gracias a Dios is known to be a place of relatively high crime. Due to its remoteness and the Honduran government having a relatively low ability to fight crime, trafficking of narcotics is common in Gracias a Dios. Criminal organizations are also common in the area.[5]