Statistical information Haiti 1996

Haiti in the World
Haiti - Introduction 1996
top of pageBackground: One of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. Over three decades of dictatorship followed by military rule ended in 1990 when Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE was elected president. Most of his term was usurped by a military takeover but he was able to return to office in 1994 and oversee the installation of a close associate to the presidency in 1996.
top of pageLocation: Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic
Geographic coordinatesMap referenceAreaTotal: 27,750 km²
Land: 27,560 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries: Total 275 km, Dominican Republic 275 km
Coastline: 1,771 km
Maritime claimsContiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: Tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds
Terrain: Mostly rough and mountainous
ElevationExtremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m
Natural resources: Bauxite
Land useArable land: 20%
Permanent crops: 13%
Permanent pastures: 18%
Forests and woodland: 4%
Other: 45%
Irrigated land: 750 km² (1989 est.)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazardsGeographytop of pagePopulation:
6,731,539 (July 1996 est.)
6,539,983 (July 1995 est.)
Growth rate:1.77% (1996 est.)
1.5% (1995 est.)
NationalityNoun: Haitian(s)
Adjective: Haitian
Ethnic groups:
Black 95%
Mulatto and European 5%
Languages: French (official) 10%, Creole
Religions:
Roman Catholic 80% (of which an overwhelming majority also practice Voodoo), Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%
Pentecostal 4%
Adventist 1%
Other 1%), none 1%
Other 3% (1982)
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years:46% (male 1,568,943; female 1,523,406) (July 1996 est.)
46% (male 1,535,607; female 1,490,939) (July 1995 est.)
15-64 years:50% (male 1,614,679; female 1,758,388) (July 1996 est.)
50% (male 1,557,568; female 1,692,032) (July 1995 est.)
65 years and over:4% (male 132,460; female 133,663) (July 1996 est.)
4% (male 130,546; female 133,291) (July 1995 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate:
1.77% (1996 est.)
1.5% (1995 est.)
Birth rate:
38.15 births/1000 population (1996 est.)
38.64 births/1000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate:
15.96 deaths/1000 population (1996 est.)
18.65 deaths/1000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate:
-4.52 migrant(s)/1000 population (1996 est.)
-4.99 migrant(s)/1000 population (1995 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and use as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water
Current issues Natural hazards: lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts
International agreements: party to_Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation; signed, but not ratified_Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban
International agreements note: Shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female
All ages:0.97 male(s)/female (1996 est.) Infant Mortality Rate:103.8 deaths/1000 live births (1996 est.)
107.5 deaths/1000 live births (1995 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rateLife expectancy at birthTotal population: 49.26 years (1996 est.); 44.77 years (1995 est.)
Male: 47.26 years (1996 est.); 43.04 years (1995 est.)
Female: 51.35 years (1996 est.); 46.59 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.69 children born/woman (1996 est.)
5.82 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracyDefinition: age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)
Total population: 45%
Male: 48%
Female: 42.2%
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: Republic of Haiti
Conventional short form: Haiti
Local long form: Republique d'Haiti
Local short form: Haiti
Government type: Republic
Capital: Port-au-Prince
Administrative divisions: 9 departments, (departements, singular_departement; Artibonite, Centre, Grand'Anse, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est
Dependent areasIndependence: 1 January 1804 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 January (1804)
Constitution: Approved March 1987, suspended June 1988, most articles reinstated March 1989; in October 1991, government claimed to be observing the constitution; return to constitutional rule, October 1994
Legal system: Based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branchChief of state: President Rene Garcia PREVAL (since 7 February 1996), was elected for a five-year term by universal suffrage; election last held 17 December 1995 (next to be held by December 2000); results_Rene PREVAL 88%, Leon JEUNE 2.5%, Victor BENOIT 2.3%
7 february 1991 7 february 1996: President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE, ousted in a coup in September 1991 but, with U.S. military support, returned to power on 15 October 1994
Head of government: Prime Minister Rosny SMARTH (since March 1996) was appointed by the president
Cabinet: Cabinet; chosen by prime minister in consultation with the president
Legislative branch: Bicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale) Senate:Elections last held 25 June 1995 with reruns on 13 August and runoffs on 17 September (next to be held 25 June 1999; results_percent of vote by party NA; seats_27 total Chamber of Deputies:Elections last held 25 June 1995 with reruns on 13 August and runoffs on 17 September; results_percent of vote by party NA; seats_83 total
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal (Cour de Cassation)
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: ACCT, ACP, Caricom (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representationFlag description
: Two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a centered white rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which contains a palm tree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength)
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: About 75% of the population lives in abject poverty. Nearly 70% of all Haitians depend on the agriculture sector, which consists mainly of small-scale subsistence farming and employs about two-thirds of the economically active work force. The country has experienced only moderate job creation since President ARISTIDE was returned to power in October 1994. Failure to reach agreement with multilateral lenders in late 1995 led to rising deficit spending and subsequently increasing inflation and a drop in the value of the Haitian currency in the final months of 1995. Potential investors, both foreign and domestic, have been reluctant to risk their capital, planning to "wait and see" what happens in the months following the inauguration of newly elected President Rene PREVAL and the drawdown of UN peacekeeping forces. The PREVAL government will have to grapple with implementing necessary, although unpopular, economic reforms in order to obtain badly needed foreign aid and improve Haiti's ability to attract foreign capital if the Haitian economy is to gain momentum. Haiti will continue to depend heavily on foreign aid in the medium term.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate:
4.5% (1995 est.)
-15% (1994 est.)
Real gdp per capita:
purchasing power parity_ $1,000 (1995 est.)
$870 (1994 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture products: Accounts for 34.8% of GDP and employs two-thirds of work force; mostly small-scale subsistence farms; commercial crops_coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, wood; staple crops_rice, corn, sorghum; shortage of wheat flour
Industries:
Sugar refining
Textiles
Flour milling
Cement manufacturing
Tourism
Light assembly industries based on imported parts
Industrial production growth rate: Growth rate 2.5% (1995 est.), -2% (1991 est.), accounts for 23% of GDP
Labor force: 2.3 million
By occupation Agriculture: 66%
By occupation Services: 25%
By occupation Industry: 9%
By occupation note: Shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1982)
Unemployment rate:
60% (1995 est.)
50% (1994 est.)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $242 million
Expenditures: $299.4 million including capital expenditures of $NA (FY94/95)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: 1 October_30 September
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports:
total value. $161 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
$173.3 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
Commodities:Light manufactures 65%
Coffee 19%
Other agriculture 8%
Other 8%
Partners:U.S. 81%
Europe 12% (1993)
ImportsTotal value:$537 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
$476.8 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
Commodities:Machines and manufactures 34%
Food and beverages 22%
Petroleum products 14%
Chemicals 10%
Fats and oils 9%
Partners:U.S. 51%
Europe 16%
Latin America 18% (1993)
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $871 million (September 1994)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: Gourdes (G) per US$1_16.783 (January 1996), 16.160 (1995), 12.947 (1994), 12.805 (1993), 10.953 (1992), 8.240 (1991)
top of pageElectricityCapacity: 150,000 kW
Production: 590 million kWh
Consumption per capita: 86 kWh (1993)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitaHaiti - Communication 1996
top of pageTelephonesTelephone system: 50,000 telephones (1990 est.); domestic facilities barely adequate, international facilities slightly better
Local: NA
Intercity: NA
International: 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: $34 million, 1.5% of GDP (1988 est.)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupsHaiti - Transportation 1996
top of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 11
2438 to 3047 m: 2
15-24 to 2437 m: 1
Under 914 m: 4
914 to 1523 m: 4 (1995 est.)
HeliportsPipelinesRailwaysRoadwaysWaterways: Negligible; less than 100 km navigable
Merchant marine: None
Ports and terminalsHaiti - Transnational issues 1996
top of pageDisputes internationalRefugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs: Transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana en route to the U.S. and Europe