Haiti - Introduction 2023
top of pageBackground: The native Taino - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when Christopher COLUMBUS first landed on it in 1492 - were virtually wiped out by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean but relied heavily on the forced labor of enslaved Africans and environmentally degrading practices. In the late 18th century, Toussaint L'OUVERTURE led a revolution of Haiti's nearly half a million slaves that ended France's rule on the island. After a prolonged struggle, and under the leadership of Jean-Jacques DESSALINES, Haiti became the first country in the world led by former slaves after declaring its independence in 1804, but it was forced to pay an indemnity of 100 million francs (equivalent to $22 billion USD in March 2023) to France for more than a century and was shunned by other countries for nearly 40 years. On 12 July 1862, the US officially recognized Haiti, but foreign economic influence and internal political instability induced the US to occupy Haiti from 1915-1934. Subsequently, Francois "Papa Doc" DUVALIER and then his son Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" DUVALIER led repressive and corrupt regimes that ruled Haiti in 1957-1971 and 1971-1986, respectively. President Jovenel MOISE was assassinated on 7 July 2021, leading the country further into an extra-constitutional governance structure and contributing to the country’s growing fragility. On 20 July 2021, the Government of Haiti installed Ariel HENRY - whom President MOISE had nominated shortly before his death - as prime minister. As of March 2023, Haiti had no sitting elected officials. The country has long been plagued by natural disasters. In January 2010, a major 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti with an epicenter about 25 km (15 mi) west of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Estimates are that over 300,000 people were killed and some 1.5 million left homeless. The earthquake was assessed as the worst in this region over the last 200 years. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti’s southern peninsula in August 2021, causing well over 2,000 deaths; an estimated 500,000 required emergency humanitarian aid. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, as well as one of the most unequal in wealth distribution.
Climate: tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds
Terrain: mostly rough and mountainous
Natural resources: bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower, arable land
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
GeographyNote: 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
top of pageLanguages: 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
Age structure0-14 years: 29.68% (male 1,695,357/female 1,709,344)
15-64 years: 65.76% (male 3,733,899/female 3,808,453)
65 years and over: 4.56% (2023 est.) (male 228,800/female 294,408)
Birth rate: 21.5 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Death rate: 7.7 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
EnvironmentCurrent 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
top of pageAdministrative divisions: 10 departments (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand'Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est
ConstitutionHistory: 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
Executive branchChief of state: President (vacant); note - Prime Minister Ariel HENRY assumed executive responsibilities, including naming Cabinet members, following the assassination of President MOISE on 7 July 2021; new elections have not yet been scheduled
Head of government: Prime Minister Ariel HENRY (since 20 July 2021)
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 had been originally scheduled for 9 October 2016 but was postponed until 20 November 2016 due to Hurricane Matthew
Election results:2016: Jovenel MOISE elected president in first round; percent of vote - Jovenel MOISE (PHTK) 55.6%, Jude CELESTIN (LAPEH) 19.6%, Jean-Charles MOISE (PPD) 11%, Maryse NARCISSE (FL) 9%; other 4.8%
2011: Michel MARTELLY elected president in second round; percent of vote - Michel MARTELLY (Peasant's Response) 68%, Mirlande MANIGAT (RDNP) 32%
Legislative branchDescription:bicameral legislature or le Corps legislatif ou le Parlement 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); note - when the 2 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
Elections:Senate - last held on 20 November 2016 with 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)
Election results:Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 10, women 0, percent of women 0%
Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - NA
note: the Senate and Chamber of Deputies as of January 2023 was not functional
Judicial branchHighest 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 - Haiti is a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice; Constitutional Court, called for in the 1987 constitution but not yet established; High Court of Justice, for trying high government officials - currently not functional
Judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the president from candidate lists submitted by the Senate of the National Assembly; note - Article 174 of Haiti's constitution states that judges of the Supreme Court are appointed for 10 years, whereas Article 177 states that judges of the Supreme Court are appointed for life
Subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; magistrate's courts; land, labor, and children's courts
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
Political parties and leaders:
Alternative League for Haitian Progress and Emancipation (Ligue Alternative pour le Progres et l’Emancipation Haitienne) or LAPEH [Jude CELESTIN]
Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MCNH or Mochrenha [Luc MESADIEU]
Christian National Movement for the Reconstruction of Haiti or UNCRH [Jean Chavannes JEUNE]
Combat of Peasant Workers to Liberate Haiti (Konbit Travaye Peyizan Pou Libere Ayiti) or Kontra Pep La [Jean William JEANTY]
Convention for Democratic Unity or KID [Evans PAUL]
Cooperative Action to Rebuild Haiti or KONBA [Jean William JEANTY]
December 16 Platform or Platfom 16 Desanm [Dr. Gerard BLOT]
Democratic Alliance Party or ALYANS [Evans PAUL] (coalition includes KID and PPRH)
Democratic Centers' National Council or CONACED [Osner FEVRY]
Democratic and Popular Sector (Secteur Democratique et Populaire) or SDP [Nenel CASSY, Andre MICHEL, and Marjorie MICHEL]
Democratic Unity Convention (Konvansyon Inite Demokratik) or KID [Enold JOSEPH]
Dessalinian Patriotic and Popular Movement or MOPOD [Jean Andre VICTOR]
Effort and Solidarity to Create an Alternative for the People or ESKAMP [Joseph JASME]
Fanmi Lavalas or FL [Maryse NARCISSE and former President Jean Bertrand ARISTIDE]
Forward (En Avant) [Jerry TARDIEU]
Fusion of Haitian Social Democrats (Fusion Des Sociaux-Démocrates Haïtiens) or FHSD [Edmonde Supplice BEAUZILE]
G18 Policy Platform (Plateforme Politique G18) [Joseph WUILSON]
Haiti in Action (Ayiti An Aksyon Haiti's Action) or AAA [Youri LATORTUE]
Haitian Tet Kale Party (Parti Haitien Tet Kale) or PHTK [Line Sainphaar BALTHAZAR]
Independent Movement for National Reconciliation or MIRN [Luc FLEURINORD]
Lavni Organization or LAVNI [Yves CRISTALIN]
Lod Demokratik [Jean Renel SENATUS]
Love Haiti (Renmen Ayiti) or RA [Jean Henry CEANT]
MTV Ayiti [Reginald BOULOS]
National Consortium of Haitian Political Parties (Consortium National des Partis Politiques Haitiens) or CNPPH [Jeantel JOSEPH]
National Shield Network (Reseau Bouclier National) [Victor PROPHANE and Garry BODEAU]
Organization of the People's Struggle (Oganizasyon Pep Kap Lite) or OPL [Edgard LEBLANC]
Patriotic Unity (Inite Patriyotik) or Inite [Sorel YACINTHE and Levaillant Louis JEUNE]
Platform Pitit Desalin (Politik Pitit Dessalines) or PPD [Jean-Charles MOISE]
Political Party for Us All or Bridge (Pont) or Pou Nou Tout [Jean Marie CHERESTAL]
Popular Patriotic Dessalinien Movement (Mouvement Patriotique Populaire Dessalinien) or MOPOD [Jean Andre VICTOR]
Rally of Progressive National Democrats (Rassemblement des Democrates Nationaux Progressistes) or RDNP [Eric JEAN-BAPTISTE]
Respe (Respect) [Charles Henry BAKER]
Women and Families Political Parties (Defile Pati Politik Fanm Ak Fanmi) [Marie Rebecca GUILLAUME]
International organization participation: ACP, 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
National symbols: Hispaniolan trogon (bird), hibiscus flower; national colors: blue, red
National anthemName: "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
top of pageEconomy 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
Agriculture products: sugar cane, cassava, mangoes/guavas, plantains, bananas, yams, avocados, maize, rice, vegetables
Industries: textiles, sugar refining, flour milling, cement, light assembly using imported parts
Labor force: 5.01 million (2021 est.)
Note: shortage of skilled labor; unskilled labor abundant
Unemployment rate:
15.73% (2021 est.)
15.45% (2020 est.)
13.91% (2019 est.)
Note: widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs
Public debt:
31.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
33.9% of GDP (2016 est.)
Exports:
$1.241 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$1.014 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$1.733 billion (2019 est.)
Partners: United States 83%, Canada 4%, Mexico 3%, India 1%, Hong Kong 1% (2021)
Commodities: clothing and apparel, essential oils, eels, mangoes, scrap iron (2021)
Imports:
$5.222 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$4.206 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$5.161 billion (2019 est.)
Partners: United States 26%, Dominican Republic 23%, China 19%, Turkey 3%, Indonesia 3% (2021)
Commodities: refined petroleum, rice, clothing and apparel, poultry, palm oil (2021)
Debt external:
$2.762 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$2.17 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Exchange rates:
gourdes (HTG) per US dollar - 89.227 (2021 est.)
93.51 (2020 est.)
88.815 (2019 est.)
68.032 (2018 est.)
64.77 (2017 est.)
top of pageHaiti - Communication 2023
top of pageBroadcast media: per 2019 data released by Haitian telecommunications regulator CONATEL (Conseil National des Télécommunications), there are 398 legal sound broadcasting stations on the territory, including about 60 community radio stations, and 7 radio stations on the AM band; the FM band in Haiti is oversaturated by 158 percent; most radio stations broadcast 17 to 19 hours a day; there are 105 television stations operating in Haiti, including 36 TV stations in Port- au- Prince, 41 others in the provinces, and more than 40 radio-television stations; a large number of broadcasting stations operate irregularly and some stations operate with technical parameters that do not comply with established standards, thus causing harmful interference to existing telecommunications systems; VOA Creole Service broadcasts daily on 30 affiliate stations
top of pageMilitary and security forces:
the Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH), disbanded in 1995, began to be reconstituted in 2017; it established an Army command in 2018
Ministry of Justice and Public Security: Haitian National Police (Police Nationale d'Haïti or PNH) (2023)
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
Haiti - Transportation 2023
top of pageAirports: 14 (2021)
With paved runways: 4
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 10
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
Haiti - Transnational issues 2023
top of pageDisputes international:
Haiti-Dominican Republic: the Dominican Republic has increased security along the Haitian border to prevent unauthorized migration and smuggling, including constructing a fence and deploying military troops; some disputes over border limits, particularly along the Massacre River
Haiti-US: Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island
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
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