2015 Edition

Background

The native Taino - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 - were virtually annihilated 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 only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first post-colonial black-led nation in the world, declaring its independence in 1804. Currently the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has experienced political instability for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the forced resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government organized new elections under the auspices of the UN. Continued instability and technical delays prompted repeated postponements, but Haiti inaugurated a democratically elected president and parliament in May 2006. This was followed by contested elections in 2010 that resulted in the election of Haiti's current President, Michel MARTELLY. A massive magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010 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.

Area

land

27,560 sq km

total

27,750 sq km

water

190 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland

Climate

tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

Coastline

1,771 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m

lowest point

Caribbean Sea 0 m

Environment - current issues

extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water

Environment - international agreements

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified

Hazardous Wastes

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

134.3 cu m/yr (2009)

total

1.2 cu km/yr (17%/3%/80%)

Geographic coordinates

19 00 N, 72 25 W

Geography - note

shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)

Irrigated land

970 sq km (2009)

Land boundaries

border countries (1)

Dominican Republic 376 km

total

376 km

Land use

arable land 38.5%; permanent crops 10.2%; permanent pasture 17.7%

agricultural land

66.4%

forest

3.6%

other

30% (2011 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

to depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

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

Natural resources

bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower, arable land

Terrain

mostly rough and mountainous

Total renewable water resources

14.03 cu km (2011)

Age structure

0-14 years

33.28% (male 1,686,647/female 1,678,156)

15-24 years

21.64% (male 1,093,024/female 1,094,591)

25-54 years

35.78% (male 1,801,988/female 1,815,819)

55-64 years

5.11% (male 247,588/female 269,103)

65 years and over

4.18% (male 188,952/female 234,151) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

22.31 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Child labor - children ages 5-14

percentage

21% (2006 est.)

total number

2,587,205

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

11.6% (2012)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

34.5% (2012)

Death rate

7.83 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

7.5%

potential support ratio

13.3% (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio

62.3%

youth dependency ratio

54.8%

Drinking water source

urban: 64.9% of population

rural: 47.6% of population

total: 57.7% of population

urban: 35.1% of population

rural: 52.4% of population

total: 42.3% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

NA

Ethnic groups

black 95%, mulatto and white 5%

Health expenditures

9.4% of GDP (2013)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.93% (2014 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

3,800 (2014 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

141,300 (2014 est.)

Hospital bed density

1.3 beds/1,000 population (2007)

Infant mortality rate

female

44.21 deaths/1,000 live births

male

51.71 deaths/1,000 live births

note

the preliminary 2011 numbers differ significantly from those of 2010, which were strongly influenced by the demographic effect of the January 2010 earthquake; the latest figures more closely correspond to those of 2009 (2015 est.)

total

47.98 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

French (official), Creole (official)

Life expectancy at birth

female

64.95 years (2015 est.)

male

62.07 years

total population

63.51 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

57.3% (2015 est.)

male

64.3%

total population

60.7%

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

high

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases

dengue fever and malaria (2013)

Major urban areas - population

PORT-AU-PRINCE (capital) 2.44 million (2015)

Maternal mortality rate

359 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

Median age

female

22.7 years (2015 est.)

male

22.3 years

total

22.5 years

Nationality

adjective

Haitian

noun

Haitian(s)

Net migration rate

-2.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

10.7% (2014)

Population

10,110,019

note

estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2015 est.)

Population growth rate

1.17%

note

the preliminary 2011 numbers differ significantly from those of 2010, which were strongly influenced by the demographic effect of the January 2010 earthquake; the latest figures more closely correspond to those of 2009 (2015 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic (official) 54.7%, Protestant 28.5% (Baptist 15.4%, Pentecostal 7.9%, Adventist 3%, Methodist 1.5%, other .7%), voodoo (official) 2.1%, other 4.6%, none 10.2%

note

many Haitians practice elements of voodoo in addition to another religion, most often Roman Catholicism; voodoo was recognized as an official religion in 2003

Sanitation facility access

urban: 33.6% of population

rural: 19.2% of population

total: 27.6% of population

urban: 66.4% of population

rural: 80.8% of population

total: 72.4% of population (2015 est.)

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.01 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1 male(s)/female

25-54 years

0.99 male(s)/female

55-64 years

0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.81 male(s)/female

at birth

1.01 male(s)/female

total population

0.99 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.69 children born/woman (2015 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

3.78% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

urban population

58.6% of total population (2015)

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

geographic coordinates

18 32 N, 72 20 W

name

Port-au-Prince

time difference

UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth

no

citizenship by descent only

at least one parent must be a native-born citizen of Haiti

dual citizenship recognized

no

residency requirement for naturalization

5 years

Constitution

many previous (23 total); latest adopted 10 March 1987; amended 2012 (2015)

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Haiti

conventional short form

Haiti

local long form

Republique d'Haiti/Repiblik d Ayiti

local short form

Haiti/Ayiti

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Pamela A. WHITE (since 18 July 2012)

embassy

Tabarre 41, Route de Tabarre, Port-au-Prince

FAX

[509] 229-8028

mailing address

(in Haiti) P.O. Box 1634, Port-au-Prince, Haiti; (from abroad) 3400 Port-au-Prince, State Department, Washington, DC 20521-3400

telephone

[509] 2229-8000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Paul Getty ALTIDOR (since 17 April 2012)

consulate(s) general

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Orlando (FL), New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

FAX

[1] (202) 745-7215

telephone

[1] (202) 332-4090

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president

chief of state

President Michel MARTELLY (since 14 May 2011)

election results

2010 election - Michel MARTELLY elected president in runoff; percent of vote - Michel MARTELLY (Peasant's Response) 68%, Mirlande MANIGAT (RDNP) 32%; 2015 election - results are pending

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); election last held on 25 November 2015 with a runoff on 27 December 2015 (next tentatively scheduled for late 2020); prime minister chosen by the president from among members of the majority party in the National Assembly

head of government

Prime Minister Evans PAUL (since 16 January 2015)

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

Government type

republic

Independence

1 January 1804 (from France)

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; non-party state to the ICCt

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

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation (consists of a chief judge and other judges); note - Haiti is a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice

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 the Haiti Constitution states "Judges of the Supreme Court.... are appointed for 10 years." whereas Article 177 states "Judges of the Supreme Court..... are appointed for life."

subordinate courts

Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; magistrates' courts; special courts

Legal system

civil law system strongly influenced by Napoleonic Code

Legislative branch

description

bicameral legislature or "le Corps Legislatif ou parlement" consists of le Senat or Senate (30 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in two rounds if needed; members serve 6-year terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 2 years) and la Chambre de deputes or Chamber of Deputies (118 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in two rounds if needed; members serve 4-year terms); note - when the two chambers meet collectively it is known as L'Assemblee Nationale or the National Assembly that is convened for specific purposes spelled out in the constitution

election results

2015 Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; 2015 Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; note - official results pending

elections

Senate - last held on 9 August 2015 with run-off election on 25 October 2015 (next possible election in 2017); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 9 August 2015 with run-off election on 25 October 2015 (next regular election may be held in 2017)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Justin LHERISSON/Nicolas GEFFRARD

name

"La Dessalinienne" (The Dessalines Song)

note

adopted 1904; named for Jean-Jacques DESSALINES, a leader in the Haitian Revolution and first ruler of an independent Haiti

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 January (1804)

National symbol(s)

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

Political parties and leaders

Assembly of Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Mirlande MANIGAT]

Christian and Citizen For Haiti's Reconstruction or ACCRHA [Chavannes JEUNE]

Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MCNH [Luc MESADIEU]

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 or ALYANS [Evans PAUL] (coalition composed of KID and PPRH)

Democratic Centers's National Council or CONACED [Osner FEVRY]

Democratic Movement for the Liberation of Haiti-Revolutionary Party of Haiti or MODELH-PRDH

Effort and Solidarity to Create an Alternative for the People or ESKAMP [Joseph JASME]

Fanmi Lavalas or FL [Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE]

For Us All or PONT [Jean-Marie CHERESTAL]

Fusion of Haitian Social Democrats or FHSD [Edmonde Supplice BEAUZILE]

Grouping of Citizens for Hope or RESPE [Charles-Henri BAKER]

Haiti in Action or AAA [Youri LATORTUE]

Haitian Tet Kale Party or PHTK [Ann Valerie Timothee MILFORT]

Haitians for Haiti [Yvon NEPTUNE]

Independent Movement for National Reconstruction or MIRN [Luc FLEURINORD]

Konbit Pou refe Ayiti or KONBIT

Lavni Organization or LAVNI [Yves CRISTALIN]

Liberal Party of Haiti or PLH [Jean Andre VICTOR]

Liberation Platform or PLATFORME LIBERATION

Love Haiti or Renmen Ayiti [Jean-Henry CEANT and Camille LEBLANC]

Merging of Haitian Social Democratics or FUSION [Edmonde Supplice BEAUZILE] (coalition of Ayiti Capable, Haitian National Revolutionary Party, and National Congress of Democratic Movements)

Mobilization for National Development or MDN [Hubert de RONCERAY]

National Front for the Reconstruction of Haiti or FRN [Guy PHILIPPE]

New Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]

Patriotic Movement of the Democratic Opposition or MOPOD

Patriotic Unity or IP [Marie Denise CLAUDE]

Peasant Platform or PP

Peasant's Response or Repons Peyizan [Michel MARTELLY]

Platform Alternative for Progress and Democracy or ALTENATIV [Victor BENOIT and Evans PAUL]

Platform of Haitian Patriots or PLAPH [Dejean BELISAIRE and Himmler REBU]

Platform Pitit Dessalines or PPD [Moise JEAN-CHARLES]

Pont

Popular Party for the Renewal of Haiti or PPRH [Claude ROMAIN]

PPG18

Rally or RASAMBLE

Renmen Ayiti or RA [Jean-Henry CEANT]

Respect or RESPE

Socialist Action Movement or MAS

Strength in Unity or Ansanm Nou Fo [Leslie VOLTAIRE]

Struggling People's Organization or OPL [Sauveur PIERRE-ETIENNE]

Truth (Verite)

Union [Chavannes JEUNE]

Union of Haitian Citizens for Democracy, Development, and Education or UCADDE [Jeantel JOSEPH]

Union of Nationalist and Progressive Haitians or UNPH [Edouard FRANCISQUE]

Unity or Inite [Levaillant LOUIS-JEUNE] (coalition that includes Front for Hope or L'ESPWA)

Vigilance or Veye Yo [Lavarice GAUDIN]

Youth for People's Power or JPP [Rene CIVIL]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Autonomous Organizations of Haitian Workers or CATH [Fignole ST-CYR]

Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH

Economic Forum of the Private Sector or EF [Reginald BOULOS]

Federation of Workers Trade Unions or FOS

General Organization of Independent Haitian Workers [Patrick NUMAS]

Grand-Anse Resistance Committee or KOREGA

Haitian Association of Industries or ADIH [Georges SASSINE]

National Popular Assembly or APN

Papaye Peasants Movement or MPP [Chavannes JEAN-BAPTISTE]

Popular Organizations Gathering Power or PROP

Protestant Federation of Haiti

Roman Catholic Church

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

coffee, mangoes, cocoa, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood, vetiver

Budget

expenditures

$2.232 billion (2014 est.)

revenues

$1.683 billion

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-6.3% of GDP (2014 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

10.8% (31 December 2014 est.)

8.72% (31 December 2013 est.)

Current account balance

-$552 million (2014 est.)

-$535 million (2013 est.)

Debt - external

$1.366 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.271 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

59.2 (2001)

Economy - overview

Haiti is a free market economy that enjoys the advantages of low labor costs and tariff-free access to the US for many of its exports. Poverty, corruption, vulnerability to natural disasters, and low levels of education for much of the population are among Haiti's most serious impediments to economic growth. Haiti's economy suffered a severe setback in January 2010 when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake destroyed much of its capital city, Port-au-Prince, and neighboring areas. Currently the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty, the earthquake further inflicted $7.8 billion in damage and caused the country's GDP to contract. In 2011, the Haitian economy began recovering from the earthquake. However, two hurricanes adversely affected agricultural output and the low public capital spending slowed the recovery in 2012. Two-fifths of all Haitians depend on the agricultural sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, and remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters, exacerbated by the country's widespread deforestation. US economic engagement under the Caribbean Basin Trade Preference Agreement (CBTPA) and the 2008 Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE II) Act helped increase apparel exports and investment by providing duty-free access to the US. Congress voted in 2010 to extend the CBTPA and HOPE II until 2020 under the Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP) Act; the apparel sector accounts for about 90% of Haitian exports and nearly one-twentieth of GDP. Remittances are the primary source of foreign exchange, equaling one-fifth of GDP and representing more than five times the earnings from exports in 2012. Haiti suffers from a lack of investment, partly because of weak infrastructure such as access to electricity. Haiti's outstanding external debt was cancelled by donor countries following the 2010 earthquake, but has since risen to $1.43 billion as of December 2014. The government relies on formal international economic assistance for fiscal sustainability, with over half of its annual budget coming from outside sources.

Exchange rates

gourdes (HTG) per US dollar -

45.216 (2014 est.)

45.22 (2013 est.)

41.95 (2012 est.)

40.52 (2011 est.)

39.8 (2010 est.)

Exports

$917.7 million (2014 est.)

$883.7 million (2013 est.)

Exports - commodities

apparel, manufactures, oils, cocoa, mangoes, coffee

Exports - partners

US 83.2% (2014)

Fiscal year

1 October - 30 September

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

15.8%

government consumption

0%

household consumption

104.7%

imports of goods and services

-48.1%

investment in fixed capital

29.8%

investment in inventories

-2.2%

note

figure for household consumption also includes government consumption (2014 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

23.4%

industry

19.8%

services

56.8% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$1,800 (2014 est.)

$1,700 (2013 est.)

$1,600 (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

2.8% (2014 est.)

4.2% (2013 est.)

2.9% (2012 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$8.711 billion (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$18.38 billion (2014 est.)

$17.88 billion (2013 est.)

$17.16 billion (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

Gross national saving

24.8% of GDP (2014 est.)

23.7% of GDP (2013 est.)

23.9% of GDP (2012 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

47.7% (2001)

lowest 10%

0.7%

Imports

$3.392 billion (2014 est.)

$3.329 billion (2013 est.)

Imports - commodities

food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials

Imports - partners

Dominican Republic 29.2%, US 23.8%, Algeria 11.7%, Netherlands Antilles 7.8%, China 7.3% (2014)

Industrial production growth rate

4% (2014 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.9% (2014 est.)

6.8% (2013 est.)

Labor force

4.81 million

note

shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (2010 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

38.1%

industry

11.5%

services

50.4% (2010)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Population below poverty line

58.5% (2012 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.99 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$2.53 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of broad money

$3.509 billion (31 October 2012 est.)

$3.43 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$1.185 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.086 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$2.175 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.699 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$1.092 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.132 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

19.3% of GDP (2014 est.)

Unemployment rate

40.6% (2010 est.)

note

widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

2.094 million Mt (2012 est.)

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2015 est.)

Electricity - consumption

452 million kWh (2012 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

77.3% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

22.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

267,800 kW (2012 est.)

Electricity - production

1.089 billion kWh (2012 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

15,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

14,720 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Broadcast media

several TV stations, including 1 government owned; cable TV subscription service available; government-owned radio network; more than 250 private and community radio stations with about 50 FM stations in Port-au-Prince alone (2007)

Internet country code

.ht

Internet users

percent of population

11.6% (2014 est.)

total

1.2 million

Radio broadcast stations

AM 41, FM 53, shortwave 0 (2009)

Telephone system

domestic

mobile-cellular telephone services are expanding rapidly due, in part, to the introduction of low-cost GSM phones; mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 40 per 100 persons

general assessment

telecommunications infrastructure is among the least-developed in Latin America and the Caribbean; domestic facilities barely adequate; international facilities slightly better

international

country code - 509; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2010)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

less than 1 (2014 est.)

total subscriptions

41,000

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

68 (2014 est.)

total

6.8 million

Television broadcast stations

2 (plus a cable TV service) (1997)

Airports

14 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

2,438 to 3,047 m

2

914 to 1,523 m

2 (2013)

total

4

Airports - with unpaved runways

8 (2013)

914 to 1,523 m

2

total

10

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s)

Cap-Haitien, Gonaives, Jacmel, Port-au-Prince

Roadways

paved

768 km

total

4,266 km

unpaved

3,498 km (2009)

Manpower available for military service

females age 16-49

2,415,039 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

2,398,804

Manpower fit for military service

females age 16-49

1,704,364 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

1,666,324

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

115,282 (2010 est.)

male

115,246

Military branches

no regular military forces - small Coast Guard; a Ministry of National Defense established May 2012; the regular Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH) - Army, Navy, and Air Force - have been demobilized but still exist on paper until or unless they are constitutionally abolished (2011)

Disputes - international

since 2004, peacekeepers from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti have assisted in maintaining civil order in Haiti; the mission currently includes 6,685 military, 2,607 police, and 443 civilian personnel; despite efforts to control illegal migration, Haitians cross into the Dominican Republic and sail to neighboring countries; Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island

Illicit drugs

Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US and Europe; substantial bulk cash smuggling activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Haiti for illicit financial transactions; pervasive corruption; significant consumer of cannabis

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

60,801 (includes only IDPs from the 2010 earthquake living in camps or camp-like situations; information is lacking about IDPs living outside camps or who have left camps) (2015)

Trafficking in persons

current situation

Haiti is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; many of Haiti’s trafficking cases involve children recruited to live with families in other towns in the hope of going to school but who instead become forced domestic servants known as restaveks; restaveks are vulnerable to abuse and make up a large proportion of Haiti’s population of street children, who are forced into prostitution, begging, and street crime by violent gangs; Haitians are exploited in forced labor in the Dominican Republic, elsewhere in the Caribbean, South America, and the US, and some Dominican women are forced into prostitution in Haiti; women and children living in camps for internally displaced people since the 2010 earthquake are at increased risk of sex trafficking and forced labor

tier rating

Tier 2 Watch List – Haiti does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; the government passed a law in 2014 criminalizing human trafficking but did not prosecute or convict any trafficking offenders, despite large numbers of identified victims; a national plan to combat human trafficking was also passed in 2014; authorities did not provide direct or specialized services for trafficking victims and referred suspected victims to donor-funded NGOs; the government managed a hotline for trafficking victims and conducted a campaign to raise awareness about child labor and child trafficking (2014)