North & Central America and Caribbean
Haiti
Last reviewed: 7 July 2008
Country information
HAITI TODAY
Country Facts
Area: 27,750 sq km (10,714 sq miles); Île de la Gonave and Île de la Tortue comprise Haiti's principal offshore territories.
Population: 8.5 million (July 2007 est.)
[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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected]
Capital
City: Port-au-Prince (population: 2.5 million). Other cities: Cap Haitien (population: 800,000)
People: African descent 95%, African and European descent 5%.
Language(s): French (official), Creole (official).
Religion(s): Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 8%, Baptist 7%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, voodoo practices country-wide.
Currency: The Gourde
Major political parties: Espwa/Hope (René Préval, President-elect); KID: Convention for Democratic Unity (Evans Paul); MIDH: Movement for Establishment of Democracy in Haiti (Marc Bazin); FRN: Front for National Reconstruction (Guy Phillipe); RDNP: Assembly of National Progressive Democrats (Leslie Manigat); Democratic Movement for Haitian Reforms (Danny Toussaint, ex Lavalas senator)
Head of State: President: René Préval
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective - Haitian(s)
Annual population growth rate (2002 est.): 1.42%
Education: Years compulsory – 6 (not observed). Adult Literacy: men 53.8%; women 50% (varies with the region, but usually men are more literate).
Health: Infant Mortality rate - 76 per 1,000 live births.
Life Expectancy: - male 50.8 years; female 52.4 years.
Although Haiti averages approximately 250 people per sq km (650 per sq miles), its population is concentrated most heavily in urban areas, coastal plains and valleys. About 95% of Haitians are of African descent. The rest of the population is mostly of mixed Caucasian-African ancestry. A few are of European or levantine heritage. About two-thirds of the population live in rural areas.
French is 1 of the 2 official languages, but it is spoken by only 10% of the people. All Haitians speak Creole, the country's other official language. English is increasingly spoken among the young and in the business sector.
The state religion is Roman Catholicism, which most of the population professes. Some Haitians have converted to Protestantism through the work of missionaries active throughout the country. Much of the population also practice voodoo traditions. Haitians tend to see no conflict in these African-rooted beliefs co-existing with Christian faiths.
Although public education is free, private and parochial schools provide around 75% of educational programs offered and less than 65% of those eligible for primary education are actually enrolled. At the secondary level, the figure drops to 15%. Only 63% of those enrolled will complete primary school. On average it takes 16 years to produce a single graduate of the 6-year cycle. Though Haitians place a high value on education, few can afford to send their children to secondary school. Remittances sent by Haitians living abroad are important in paying educational costs.
Large-scale emigration - principally to the United States but also to Canada, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and other Caribbean neighbours - has created what Haitians refer to as the Tenth Department or the Diaspora, the importance of this group is reflected by the government having a Ministry for Haitians Living Abroad – it is estimated that about 1 in every 6 Haitians live abroad. Haitian migration to the Dominican Republic has caused considerable social pressures in the neighbouring country, where it is estimated that Haitians number up to 1 million, over 10% of the overall population.
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