Haiti

semi-presidential republic

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: the name means "the port of the prince" and probably came from a ship called The Prince that anchored in the bay in the early 18th century

chief of state: President (vacant) head of government: Prime Minister Alix Didier FILS-AIM (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 election/appointment process: 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) most recent election date: 20 November 2016 election results: 2016: Jovenel MO SE elected president in first round; percent of vote - Jovenel MO SE (PHTK) 55.6%, Jude CELESTIN (LAPEH) 19.6%, Jean-Charles MO SE (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% expected date of next election: 30 August 2026 note: former Prime Minister Ariel HENRY, who had assumed executive responsibilities following the assassination of President MO SE 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

legislature name: National Assembly (Assemblée nationale) legislative structure: bicameral note 1: when the two chambers meet collectively, it is known as the National Assembly (or L'Assembl e 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

highest court(s): Supreme Court or Cour de cassation (consists of 12 judges) 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 note: the Superior Council of the Judiciary or Conseil Sup rieur du Pouvoir Judiciaire is a 9-member body charged with the administration and oversight of the judicial branch of government note: Haiti is a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice, the Constitutional Court (called for in the 1987 constitution but not yet established), and the High Court of Justice, for trying high government officials (currently not functional) 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

history: many previous; latest adopted 10 March 1987, with substantial revisions in June 2012 amendment process: 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 note: the constitution is commonly referred to as the amended 1987 constitution

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

the Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH): Army Ministry of Justice and Public Security: Haitian National Police (Police Nationale d'Ha ti or PNH) (2025) 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 (BIM)

men and women 18-25 may volunteer for the FAdH (2023)

Haiti's military was disbanded in 1995 after it participated in multiple coups and was accused of other political interference and human rights violations; the military was reinstated by former President MOISE in 2017 after the UN ended its peacekeeping operation in Haiti; the reconstituted military established an Army command in 2018 and has received some training assistance from Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, France, and Mexico; the military s stated mission is to assist with natural disaster relief, border security, and combating transnational crime; in 2023, Prime Minister HENRY called upon the military to assist the National Police (PNH) in combating armed gangs, which have overwhelmed the PNH, killed hundreds of Haitians, and seized control of swaths of territory, including much of the capital Port-au-Prince, since the assassination of President MOISE in 2021 in 2023, the UN Security Council approved the deployment of a Kenya-led multinational security support mission (MSS) to help bring gang violence under control; the first contingent of MSS personnel from the Kenya National Police Service arrived in mid-2024; other countries pledging forces included the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad, and Jamaica; the mission is slated to have a total of 2,500 personnel (2025)

$32.971 billion (2024 est.) $34.406 billion (2023 est.) $35.059 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$2,800 (2024 est.) $3,000 (2023 est.) $3,000 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

-4.2% (2024 est.) -1.9% (2023 est.) -1.7% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

26.9% (2024 est.) 36.8% (2023 est.) 34% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

33.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

$1.095 billion (2023 est.) $1.355 billion (2022 est.) $1.272 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$5.303 billion (2023 est.) $5.451 billion (2022 est.) $5.048 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

15.1% (2024 est.) 14.6% (2023 est.) 14.7% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $1.179 billion (2020 est.) expenditures: $1.527 billion (2020 est.)

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

sugarcane, cassava, plantains, bananas, mangoes/guavas, avocados, maize, tropical fruits, rice, vegetables (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 11,898,812 (2025 est.) male: 5,863,438 female: 6,035,374

1.22% (2025 est.)

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)

20.76 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

7 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-1.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 65.6 years (2024 est.) male: 63.8 years female: 67.4 years

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

Black 95%, mixed and White 5%

French (official), Creole (official) major-language sample(s): The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French) The World Factbook, sous endispansab pou enfomasyon debaz. (Haitian Creole) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

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

total population: 68% (2017 est.) male: 72.9% (2017 est.) female: 63.9% (2017 est.)

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

Gran Grif; Viv Ansanm note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

USG identification: major illicit drug-producing and/or drug-transit country (2025)

tier rating: Special Case; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/haiti/

refugees: 5 (2024 est.) IDPs: 1,041,229 (2024 est.)

17 (2025)

total: 4 (2023) by type: general cargo 3, other 1

total subscriptions: 7.5 million (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 65 (2022 est.)

percent of population: 39% (2019 est.)