Haiti Demographics

What is the population of Haiti?

Population 11,067,777
Population - note 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
Population Growth Rate 0.99%
Urban Population 53.4%
Population in Major Urban Areas PORT-AU-PRINCE (capital) 2.207 million
Nationality Noun Haitian(s)
Nationality Adjective Haitian
Ethnic Groups black 95%, mulatto and white 5%
Languages Spoken French (official), Creole (official)

Haiti Health Information

What are the health conditions in Haiti?

Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 15-49 34.5%
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population 8
Drinking Water Source - percent of rural population improved 47.5%
Drinking Water Source - percent of total population unimproved 37.6%
Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved 74.6%
Food or Waterborne Disease (s) bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
Health Expenditures - percent of GDP 7.9%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 1.9%
HIV/Aids Deaths 7,500
Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population 1.3
Infant Mortality Rate - female deaths/1,000 live births 46.94
Infant Mortality Rate - male deaths/1,000 live births 54.85
Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births 50.92
Major Infectious Diseases - degree of risk high
Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births 350
Mean Age for Mother's First Birth 22.7
Obesity - adult prevalence rate 7.9%
People Living with HIV/AIDS 120,000
Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population .25
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of total population unimproved 75.6%
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved 31%
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of rural population improved 16.3%
Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman 2.88
Underweight - percent of children under five years 18.9%
Vectorborne Disease (s) dengue fever and malaria

Haiti Life Expectancy

How long do people live in Haiti?

Life Expectancy at Birth 62 Years
Life Expectancy at Birth - female 64 Years
Life Expectancy at Birth - male 61 Years
Median Age 21 Years
Median Age - female 22 Years
Median Age - male 21 Years

Haiti Infant Mortality - per 1,000 live births

Haiti median age, birth rate and death rates

Birth Rate - births/1,000 population 23
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population 8
Median Age 21 Years
Median Age - female 22 Years
Median Age - male 21 Years
Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population -5.5
Population Growth Rate 0.99%
Sex Ratio 0-14 Years - male/female 1.01
Sex Ratio 15-24 Years - male/female 1
Sex Ratio 25-54 Years - male/female .99
Sex Ratio 55-64 Years - male/female .99
Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female 1.01
Sex Ratio of Total Population - male/female .98
Sex Ratio Over 64 Years - male/female .8

Haiti Medical Information

What are the health conditions in Haiti?

Medical Facilities and Health Information

Medical facilities in Haiti are scarce and for the most part sub-standard. Outside of the capital standards are often even lower than in Port-au-Prince. Medical care in Port-au-Prince is limited, and the level of community sanitation is extremely low. Life-threatening emergencies often require evacuation by air ambulance at the patient's expense. Doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash payment in advance for health services. In the event of a medical emergency requiring evacuation, a list of air ambulance or charter flight services is available at the ACS web site.

Incidents of cholera have declined significantly since a major outbreak in 2010 and travelers are generally not at high risk; however, cholera persists in many areas of Haiti. Prior to travel, U.S. citizens should obtain information about cholera and other health-related issues by visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

Information on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as safe food and water precautions, malaria and insect bite protection, may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s hotline for international travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747) or via the CDC web site.

Haiti Education

What is school like in Haiti?

Literacy - female 51.2%
Literacy - male 54.8%
Literacy - total population 52.9%
Literacy Definition age 15 and over can read and write

Haiti Literacy

Can people in Haiti read?

Literacy - female 51.2%
Literacy - male 54.8%
Literacy - total population 52.9%
Literacy Definition age 15 and over can read and write
Predominant Language French (official), Creole (official)

Haiti Crime

Is Haiti a safe place to visit?

Crime Information

Crimes such as kidnappings, death threats, murders, armed robberies, home break-ins and car-jacking are not uncommon in Haiti. Generally, these crimes are committed by Haitians against other Haitians, but foreigners and U.S. citizens have been victimized. The incidence of kidnapping in Haiti has diminished from its peak in 2006 when 60 U.S. citizens were reported kidnapped. In 2012 there were nine reported kidnappings of U.S. citizens, two homicides, seventeen aggravated assaults, one sexual assault, and 115 reported robberies. In recent years, some U.S. citizens who were kidnapped reported being beaten and/or raped by their hostage takers. Kidnapping remains the most critical security concern, and kidnappers have not been averse to targeting children in the past.

It is important to exercise a high degree of caution throughout the country. Keep valuables well hidden, ensure possessions are not left in parked vehicles, use private transportation, alternate your travel routes, and keep doors and windows in homes and vehicles closed and locked. You should avoid all night-time travel due to poor road conditions and increased criminal activity after dark. Remain alert for suspicious onlookers when entering and exiting banks, as criminals often watch and subsequently attack bank customers. Withdrawals of large amounts of cash should be avoided.

Criminal perpetrators often operate in groups of two to four individuals, and may occasionally be confrontational and gratuitously violent. Criminals sometimes will seriously injure or kill those who resist their attempts to commit crime. In robberies or home invasions, it is not uncommon for the assailants to beat or shoot the victim in order to limit the victim's ability to resist. If an armed individual demands the surrender of a vehicle or other valuables, we recommend that you comply. This recommendation also applies in the event of a kidnapping. Exercise caution at all times and review basic personal security procedures frequently.

Avoid using public transportation, including "tap-taps" (private transportation used for commercial purposes). All public transportation is prohibited for Embassy personnel due to the safety and security risks associated with its use. When arriving to Haiti by air, arrange for someone you know to meet you at the airport.

You should decline all requests to carry items for others to or from Haiti. Traffickers of illegal drugs have duped unsuspecting travelers into helping transport narcotics aboard commercial airlines.

Avoid certain high-crime zones in the Port-au-Prince area, including Croix-des-Bouquets, Carrefour, Martissant, the port road (Boulevard La Saline), urban route Nationale #1, route Nationale #9, the airport road (Boulevard Toussaint L'Ouverture) and its adjoining connectors to the New ("American") Road via Route Nationale #1 (which should also be avoided). This latter area in particular has been the scene of numerous robberies, car-jackings, and murders. Embassy employees are prohibited from entering Cite Soleil and La Saline and their surrounding environs due to significant criminal activity. Neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince once considered relatively safe, such as the Delmas road area, Petionville, and Vivy Mitchel have been the scenes of an increasing number of violent crimes.

Cameras and video cameras should only be used with the permission of the subjects; violent incidents have followed unwelcome photography. Avoid photography/videography in high-crime areas.

Holiday periods, especially Christmas and Carnival, often bring a significant increase in criminal activity. Haiti's Carnival season is marked by street celebrations in the days leading up to Ash Wednesday. In recent years, Carnival has been accompanied by civil disturbances, altercations and severe traffic disruptions. People attending Carnival events or simply caught in the resulting celebrations have been injured and killed. Random stabbings during Carnival season have also occurred. Roving musical bands called “rah-rahs” operate during the period from New Year's Day through Carnival. Being caught in a rah-rah event may begin as an enjoyable experience, but the potential for injury and the destruction of property is high. A mob mentality can develop unexpectedly leaving people and cars engulfed and at risk. During Carnival, rah-rahs continuously form without warning; some rah-rahs have identified themselves with political entities, lending further potential for violence.

While the size of the Haitian National Police (HNP) is slowly increasing and its capabilities improving, it is still understaffed and under-equipped. As a result, it is unable to respond to all calls for assistance. There are continued allegations of police complicity in criminal activity. The response and enforcement capabilities of the HNP and the weakness of the judiciary often frustrate victims of crime in Haiti. In the past, U.S. citizens involved in business and property disputes in Haiti have been arrested and detained without charge and have been released only after intervention at high levels of the Haitian government.

Do not buy counterfeit and pirated goods, even if they are widely available. Not only are pirated goods illegal in the United States, if you purchase them you may be also breaking local law.

Haiti Penalties for Crime

Criminal Penalties

While you are traveling in Haiti, you are subject to its laws. Foreign laws and legal systems can be vastly different than our own. In some places you may be taken in for questioning if you don’t have your passport with you. In some places, it is illegal to take pictures of certain buildings. In some places driving under the influence could land you immediately in jail. These criminal penalties will vary from country to country. There are also some things that might be legal in the country you visit, but still illegal in the United States, and you can be prosecuted under U.S. law if you buy pirated goods. Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime prosecutable in the United States. If you break local laws in Haiti, your U.S. passport won’t help you avoid arrest or prosecution. It’s very important to know what’s legal and what’s not where you are going.

Persons violating Haiti's laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested or imprisoned. Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs in Haiti are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines. The judicial process in Haiti can be extremely slow; progress is often dependent on considerations not related to the specific case, including personal disputes. Detainees have waited months or years for their cases to be heard before a judge or to have legal decisions acted upon by the authorities. Bond is not usually available to those arrested for serious crimes with the result that often suspects remain in custody for many months before formal indictment. Judges have more or less unfettered freedom to detain individuals for prolonged periods of time without the possibility of release or sanctions.

Based on the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, bilateral agreements with certain countries, and customary international law, if you are arrested in Haiti, you have the option to request that the police, prison officials, or other authorities alert the U.S. Embassy of your arrest, and to have communications from you forwarded to the U.S. Embassy.

Haiti Population Comparison

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