Map of Haiti | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background:


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Location: Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic

Geographic coordinates: 19 00 N, 72 25 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 27,750 km²
Land: 27,560 km²
Water: 190 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Country comparison total: 376 km
Country comparison border countries: (1) Dominican Republic 376 km

Land boundaries
Total: 376 km
Border countries: (1) Dominican Republic 376 km

Coastline: 1,771 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: to depth of exploitation

Climate: tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

Terrain: mostly rough and mountainous

Elevation
Highest point: Pic la Selle 2,674 m
Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Mean elevation: 470 m

Natural resources: bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower, arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 66.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 38.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 10.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 17.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land forest: 3.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land other: 30% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 800 km² (2013)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 190 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 50 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 1.21 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 14.02 billion m³ (2020 est.)

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

Geography
Note: shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic); it is the most mountainous nation in the Caribbean


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Population
Distribution: fairly even distribution; largest concentrations located near coastal areas
Total: 11,753,943
Male: 5,792,443
Female: 5,961,500 (2024 est.)
Growth rate: 1.23% (2024 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Haitian(s)
Adjective: Haitian

Ethnic groups: Black 95%, mixed and White 5%

Languages: French (official), Creole (official)
Major-language samples: Gheos World Guide une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French); Gheos World Guide sous endispansab pou enfomasyon debaz. (Haitian Creole); Gheos World Guide, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions: Catholic 55%, Protestant 29%, Vodou 2.1%, other 4.6%, none 10% (2018 est.)
Note: 50-80% of Haitians incorporate some elements of Vodou culture or practice in addition to another religion, most often Roman Catholicism; Vodou was recognized as an official religion in 2003

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 30.5% (male 1,790,061/female 1,794,210)
15-64 years: 65.3% (male 3,787,782/female 3,887,791)
65 years and over: 4.2% (2024 est.) (male 214,600/female 279,499)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 58.3
Youth dependency ratio: 51.2
Elderly dependency ratio: 7.1
Potential support ratio: 14.1 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 25 years (2024 est.)
Male: 24.7 years
Female: 25.3 years

Population growth rate: 1.23% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 21.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Population distribution: fairly even distribution; largest concentrations located near coastal areas

Urbanization
Urban population: 59.7% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 2.47% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 2.987 million PORT-AU-PRINCE (capital) (2023)

Environment
Current issues: extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion; overpopulation leads to inadequate supplies of potable water and a lack of sanitation; natural disasters
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 9.69 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 2.98 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 6.12 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 22.4 years (2016/7 est.)
Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Maternal mortality ratio: 350 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 36.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 40.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 33.5 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 65.6 years (2024 est.)
Male: 63.8 years
Female: 67.4 years

Total fertility rate: 2.44 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 34.3% (2016/17)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 91.9% of population
Unimproved rural: 43.9% of population
Unimproved total: 23.5% of population (2020 est.)
Unimproved urban: 8.1% of population

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density: 0.7 beds/1,000 population (2013)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban: 82.9% of population
Improved rural: 42.6% of population
Improved total: 65.6% of population
Unimproved urban: 17.1% of population
Unimproved rural: 57.4% of population
Unimproved total: 34.4% of population (2020 est.)

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 22.7% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 2.85 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 0.55 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 2.26 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 7.7% (2020 est.)
Male: 12.2% (2020 est.)
Female: 3.1% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 9.5% (2016/17)

Education expenditures: 1.4% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 61.7%
Male: 65.3%
Female: 58.3% (2016)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 36.8% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 29.1% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 female: 46.6% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Haiti
Conventional short form: Haiti
Local long form: République d'Haïti (French)/Repiblik d Ayiti (Haitian Creole)
Local short form: Haïti (French)/ Ayiti (Haitian Creole)
Etymology: the native Taino name means 'Land of High Mountains' and was originally applied to the entire island of Hispaniola

Government type: semi-presidential republic

Capital
Name: Port-au-Prince
Geographic coordinates: 18 32 N, 72 20 W
Time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November
Etymology: according to tradition, in 1706, a Captain de Saint-Andre named the bay and its surrounding area after his ship Le Prince; the name of the town that grew there means, 'the Port of The Prince'

Administrative divisions: 10 departments (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand'Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 January 1804 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day, 1 January (1804)

Constitution
History: many previous; latest adopted 10 March 1987, with substantial revisions in June 2012
Note: – the constitution is commonly referred to as the “amended 1987 constitution”
Amendments: proposed by the executive branch or by either the Senate or the Chamber of Deputies; consideration of proposed amendments requires support by at least two-thirds majority of both houses; passage requires at least two-thirds majority of the membership present and at least two-thirds majority of the votes cast; approved amendments enter into force after installation of the next president of the republic; constitutional articles on the democratic and republican form of government cannot be amended; amended many times, last in 2012

Legal system: civil law system strongly influenced by Napoleonic Code

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a native-born citizen of Haiti
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President (vacant)
Head of government: Prime Minister Alix Didier FILS-AIMÉ (since 10 November 2024)
Cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president; parliament must ratify the Cabinet and Prime Minister's governing policy
Elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a single non-consecutive term); last election was 20 November 2016; new elections were delayed in 2022 and 2023 and have not been scheduled by the transitional presidential council
Election results: 2016: Jovenel MOÏSE elected president in first round; percent of vote - Jovenel MOÏSE (PHTK) 55.6%, Jude CELESTIN (LAPEH) 19.6%, Jean-Charles MOÏSE (PPD) 11%, Maryse NARCISSE (FL) 9%; other 4.8%; 2011: Michel MARTELLY elected president in second round; percent of vote in second round - Michel MARTELLY (Peasant's Response) 68%, Mirlande MANIGAT (RDNP) 32%
Note: former Prime Minister Ariel HENRY, who had assumed executive responsibilities following the assassination of President MOÏSE on 7 July 2021, resigned on 24 April 2024; a nine-member Presidential Transitional Council, equipped with presidential powers, was sworn in on 25 April 2024 and will remain in place until 7 February 2026

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral National Assembly or the Assemblée nationale consists of: Senate or le Sénat de la République (30 seats; 0 filled as of January 2023); members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed; members serve 6-year terms (2-term limit) with one-third of the membership renewed every 2 years), Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des députés (119 seats; 0 filled as of January 2023; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed; members serve 4-year terms; no term limits)
Elections: Senate - last held on 20 November 2016 with a runoff on 29 January 2017 (next originally scheduled for 27 October 2019 but postponed until political and civil society actors agree to a consensual process), Chamber of Deputies - last held on 9 August 2015 with runoff on 25 October 2015 and 20 November 2016 (next originally scheduled for 27 October 2019 but postponed until political and civil society actors agree to a consensual process)
Elections results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - NA, Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - NA
Note 1: when the two chambers meet collectively, it is known as the National Assembly (or L'Assemblée nationale) and is convened for specific purposes spelled out in the constitution
Note 2: as of October 2024, the Senate and Chamber of Deputies were not functional

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court or Cour de cassation (currently 11 of 12 judges as prescribed by the constitution, 8 of whom were appointed in March 2023)
Note: the Superior Council of the Judiciary or Conseil Superieur du Pouvoir Judiciaire is a 9-member body charged with the administration and oversight of the judicial branch of government
Judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the president from candidate lists submitted by the Senate of the National Assembly
Subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; magistrate's courts; land, labor, and children's courts

Political parties and leaders: Alternative League for Haitian Progress and Emancipation (Ligue Alternative pour le Progres et l’Emancipation Haitienne) or LAPEH, Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MCNH or Mochrenha, Christian National Movement for the Reconstruction of Haiti or UNCRH, Combat of Peasant Workers to Liberate Haiti (Konbit Travaye Peyizan Pou Libere Ayiti) or Kontra Pep La, Convention for Democratic Unity or KID, Cooperative Action to Rebuild Haiti or KONBA, December 16 Platform or Platfom 16 Desanm, Democratic Alliance Party or ALYANS (coalition includes KID and PPRH), Democratic Centers' National Council or CONACED, Democratic and Popular Sector (Secteur Democratique et Populaire) or SDP, Democratic Unity Convention (Konvansyon Inite Demokratik) or KID, Dessalinian Patriotic and Popular Movement or MOPOD, Effort and Solidarity to Create an Alternative for the People or ESKAMP, Fanmi Lavalas or FL, Forward (En Avant), Fusion of Haitian Social Democrats (Fusion Des Sociaux-Démocrates Haïtiens) or FHSD, G18 Policy Platform (Plateforme Politique G18), Haiti in Action (Ayiti An Aksyon Haiti's Action) or AAA, Haitian Tet Kale Party (Parti Haitien Tet Kale) or PHTK, Independent Movement for National Reconciliation or MIRN, Lavni Organization or LAVNI, Lod Demokratik, Love Haiti (Renmen Ayiti) or RA, MTV Ayiti, National Consortium of Haitian Political Parties (Consortium National des Partis Politiques Haitiens) or CNPPH, National Shield Network (Reseau Bouclier National), Organization of the People's Struggle (Oganizasyon Pep Kap Lite) or OPL, Patriotic Unity (Inite Patriyotik) or Inite, Platform Pitit Desalin (Politik Pitit Dessalines) or PPD, Political Party for Us All or Bridge (Pont) or Pou Nou Tout, Popular Patriotic Dessalinien Movement (Mouvement Patriotique Populaire Dessalinien) or MOPOD, Rally of Progressive National Democrats (Rassemblement des Democrates Nationaux Progressistes) or RDNP, Respe (Respect), Women and Families Political Parties (Defile Pati Politik Fanm Ak Fanmi)

International organization participation: ACP, ACS, AOSIS, Caricom, CD, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Louis Harold JOSEPH (since 15 May 2023)
In the us chancery: 2,311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 332-4,090
In the us fax: [1] (202) 745-7,215
In the us email address and website: amb.washington@diplomatie.ht; [link]
In the us consulates general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Orlando (FL), New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Dennis HANKINS (since 14 March 2024)
From the us note: as of March 2024, Haiti has no government official to whom the Ambassador-designate can present his credentials
From the us embassy: Tabarre 41, Route de Tabarre, Port-au-Prince
From the us mailing address: 3,400 Port-au-Prince Place, Washington, DC 20,521-3,400
From the us telephone: [011] (509) 2,229-8,000
From the us fax: [011] (509) 2,229-8,027
From the us email address and website: acspap@state.gov; [link]

Flag 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); the colors are taken from the French Tricolor and represent the union of blacks and mulattoes

National symbols: Hispaniolan trogon (bird), hibiscus flower; national colors: blue, red

National anthem
Name: 'La Dessalinienne' (The Dessalines Song)
Lyrics/music: Justin LHERISSON/Nicolas GEFFRARD
Note: adopted 1904; named for Jean-Jacques DESSALINES, a leader in the Haitian Revolution and first ruler of an independent Haiti

National heritage
Total world heritage sites: 1 (cultural)
Selected world heritage site locales:


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Economy overview: small Caribbean island economy and OECS-member state; extreme poverty and inflation; enormous income inequality; ongoing civil unrest due to recent presidential assassination; US preferential market access; very open to foreign direct investment

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $34.406 billion (2023 est.); $35.059 billion (2022 est.); $35.659 billion (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars

Real gdp growth rate: -1.86% (2023 est.); -1.68% (2022 est.); -1.8% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: $2,900 (2023 est.); $3,000 (2022 est.); $3,100 (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 100.2% (2023 est.)
Government consumption: 6.2% (2023 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 13.9% (2023 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 5.3% (2023 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -25.5% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 18.2% (2023 est.)
Industry: 31% (2023 est.)
Services: 47.8% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Agriculture products: sugarcane, cassava, mangoes/guavas, plantains, bananas, maize, avocados, tropical fruits, rice, vegetables (2022)
Note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Industries: textiles, sugar refining, flour milling, cement, light assembly using imported parts

Industrial production growth rate: -3.82% (2023 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 5.238 million (2023 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 14.62% (2023 est.); 14.72% (2022 est.); 15.25% (2021 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 36.8% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 29.1% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 female: 46.6% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $1.179 billion (2020 est.)
Expenditures: $1.527 billion (2020 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 18.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt: 31.1% of GDP (2017 est.)

Revenue
From forest resources: 0.68% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 36.81% (2023 est.); 33.98% (2022 est.); 16.84% (2021 est.)
Note: annual % change based on consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: -$491.954 million (2022 est.); $87.656 million (2021 est.); $51.548 million (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Exports: $1.355 billion (2022 est.); $1.272 billion (2021 est.); $1.018 billion (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: US 84%, Canada 4%, Mexico 2%, Thailand 1%, France 1% (2022)
Partners note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Commodities: garments, essential oils, scrap iron, bedding, tropical fruits (2022)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $5.451 billion (2022 est.); $5.048 billion (2021 est.); $4.177 billion (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: US 31%, Dominican Republic 26%, China 16%, Indonesia 3%, India 2% (2022)
Partners note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Commodities: refined petroleum, rice, cotton fabric, garments, plastic products (2022)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.368 billion (2022 est.); $2.734 billion (2021 est.); $2.59 billion (2020 est.)
Note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Debt external: $1.645 billion (2022 est.)
Note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 49.3% (2022 est.)
Access electrification urban areas: 83%
Access electrification rural areas: 1.2% (2019 est.)
Installed generating capacity: 471,000 kW (2022 est.)
Consumption: 418.367 million kWh (2022 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 624 million kWh (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 85.9% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 13.8% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Coal
Imports: 5.7 metric tons (2022 est.)

Petroleum
Refined petroleum consumption: 19,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Consumption: 3.256 million m³ (2022 est.)
Imports: 3.256 million m³ (2022 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 2.805 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 2.799 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 6,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 3.403 million Btu/person (2022 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 6,000 (2021 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2021 est.) less than 1
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 7.319 million (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 64 (2021 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces: the Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH): Army; Ministry of Justice and Public Security: Haitian National Police (Police Nationale d'Haïti or PNH) (2024)
Note: the PNH is responsible for maintaining public security; it includes police, corrections, fire, emergency response, airport security, port security, and coast guard functions; its units include a presidential guard and a paramilitary rapid-response Motorized Intervention Unit or BIM

Military service age and obligation: men and women 18-25 may volunteer for the FAdH (2023)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 1

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: HH

Airports: 17 (2024)

Heliports: 1 (2024)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 3,875 km (2022)

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Idps: 362,551 (violence among armed gangs in primarily in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince) (2024)
Stateless persons: 2,992 (2018)
Note: individuals without a nationality who were born in the Dominican Republic prior to January 2010

Illicit drugs: a transit point for cocaine from South America and marijuana from Jamaica en route to the United States; not a producer or large consumer of illicit drugs; some cultivation of cannabis for local consumption