Demographics of Haiti

Although Haiti averages approximately 402 people per square kilometer (1041 per sq. mi.), its population is concentrated most heavily in urban areas, coastal plains, and valleys. The majority of Haitians, 95%, are of predominantly African descent.[1] But in 2020 with all the emmigration and With all the UN services that have gone in this country, on a number of person DNA test result reveal that they are 80% predominantly African descent with 86% black African 12% European and 2% Native American depending on the department of the country. The remaining of the population is primarily Mulattoes, Europeans, Asians and Arabs. Hispanic residents in Haiti are mostly Cuban and Dominican. About two thirds of the Haitian population live in rural areas.

Population of Haiti (in thousands) from 1961 to 2003

Although there was a national census taken in Haiti in 2003, much of that data has not been released to the public. Several demographic studies, including those by social work researcher Athena Kolbe, have shed light on the current status of urban residents. In 2006, households averaged 4.5 members. The median age was 25 years with a mean average age of 27 years. People aged 15 and younger counted for roughly a third of the population. Overall, 52.7 percent of the population was female.[2][3]

Population in Haiti

According to the 2019 revision of the World Population Prospects[4][5] the total population was 11,123,178 in 2018, compared to 3,221,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 36.2%, 59.7% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 4.5% was 65 years or older.[6] According to the World Bank, Haiti's dependency rate is 7.51 dependents per 100 working age persons.[3]

	Total population	Proportion aged 0–14 (%)	Proportion aged 15–64 (%)	Proportion aged 65+ (%)
1950	3 221 000	39.6	56.7	3.7
1955	3 516 000	39.7	56.9	3.4
1960	3 869 000	40.3	56.5	3.2
1965	4 275 000	41.7	54.9	3.4
1970	4 713 000	41.8	54.5	3.7
1975	5 144 000	41.3	54.8	3.9
1980	5 692 000	41.1	54.9	4.0
1985	6 389 000	42.2	53.8	4.0
1990	7 110 000	43.1	52.9	4.0
1995	7 838 000	42.6	53.5	3.9
2000	8 578 000	40.3	55.7	4.0
2005	9 261 000	38.1	57.8	4.2
2010	9 896 000	36.2	59.7	4.5

Structure of the population [7]

Structure of the population (01.07.2010) (Estimates) :

Age Group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	4 993 731	5 091 483	10 085 214	100%
0-4	644 550	618 772	1 263 322	12.53%
5-9	608 495	586 984	1 195 479	11.85%
10-14	588 618	569 860	1 158 478	11.49%
15-19	551 467	540 897	1 092 364	10.83%
20-24	509 042	510 547	1 019 589	10.11%
25-29	454 123	465 513	919 636	9.12%
30-34	340 518	362 078	702 596	6.97%
35-39	261 157	286 847	548 004	5.43%
40-44	235 182	253 300	488 482	4.84%
45-49	204 077	219 300	423 377	4.20%
50-54	166 418	176 495	342 913	3.40%
55-59	136 034	148 697	284 731	2.82%
60-64	95 939	110 896	206 835	2.05%
65-69	81 854	94 044	175 898	1.74%
70-74	58 181	71 255	129 436	1.28%
75-79	35 538	45 360	80 898	0.80%
80+	22 538	30 638	53 176	0.53%

Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0-14	1 841 663	1 775 999 66	3 617 229	35.87%
15-64	2 953 957	3 074 620	6 028 577	59.78%
65+	198 111	241 297	439 408	4.36%

Structure of the population (01.07.2011) (Estimates) :

Age Group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	5 075 517	5 172 789	10 248 306	100
0-4	647 465	621 432	1 268 897	12.38%
5-9	611 472	589 690	1 201 161	11.72%
10-14	591 018	572 066	1 163 085	11.35%
15-19	556 085	544 798	1 100 883	10.74%
20-24	514 235	514 898	1 029 132	10.04%
25-29	465 396	475 451	940 847	9.18%
30-34	358 927	379 066	737 993	7.20%
35-39	270 574	296 362	566 936	5.53%
40-44	237 754	257 273	495 026	4.83%
45-49	208 671	224 746	433 416	4.23%
50-54	171 468	182 332	353 800	3.45%
55-59	140 392	152 742	293 134	2.86%
60-64	99 846	114 973	214 819	2.10%
65-69	82 201	94 868	177 069	1.73%
70-74	59 833	72 957	132 790	1.30%
75-79	36 751	47 083	83 834	0.82%
80+	23 431	32 053	55 484	0.54%

Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0-14	1 849 955	1 783 188	3 633 143	35.45%
15-64	3 023 346	3 142 640	6 165 986	60.17%
65+	202 216	246 961	449 177	4.38%

Structure of the population (DHS 2012) (Males 28 122, Females 29 844 = 57 966) :

Age Group	Male (%)	Female (%)	Total (%)
0-4	12.9%	11.7%	12.3%
5-9	12.1%	10.9%	11.5%
10-14	12.9%	11.7%	12.3%
15-19	11.6%	11.7%	11.6%
20-24	9.5%	10.0%	9.8%
25-29	7.7%	8.4%	8.1%
30-34	6.0%	6.3%	6.2%
35-39	5.2%	5.2%	5.2%
40-44	4.3%	4.2%	4.3%
45-49	3.6%	4.0%	3.8%
50-54	3.3%	4.1%	3.7%
55-59	2.8%	3.4%	3.1%
60-64	2.5%	2.6%	2.5%
65-69	2.0%	1.8%	1.9%
70-74	1.6%	1.4%	1.5%
75-79	0.8%	0.9%	0.9%
80+	1.1%	1.5%	1.3%

Age group	Male (%)	Female (%)	Total (%)
0-14	37.9%	34.3%	36.1%
15-64	56.6%	60.1%	58.3%
65+	5.5%	5.6%	5.6%

Vital statistics

Registration of vital events in Haiti is not complete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. [6]

Period	Live births per year	Deaths per year	Natural change per year	CBR*	CDR*	NC*	TFR*	IMR*	Life expectancy total	Life expectancy males	Life expectancy females
1950–1955	154 000	89 000	65 000	45.7	26.5	19.2	6.30	220	37.6	36.3	38.9
1955–1960	165 000	87 000	78 000	44.6	23.6	21.0	6.30	194	40.7	39.4	42.0
1960–1965	177 000	86 000	91 000	43.5	21.1	22.4	6.30	171	43.6	42.3	44.9
1965–1970	183 000	84 000	99 000	40.7	18.6	22.1	6.00	150	46.3	44.9	57.6
1970–1975	188 000	85 000	104 000	38.2	17.2	21.1	5.60	135	48.0	46.8	49.3
1975–1980	217 000	87 000	129 000	40.0	16.1	23.9	5.80	131	50.0	48.5	51.5
1980–1985	259 000	94 000	164 000	42.8	15.6	27.2	6.21	122	51.5	50.2	52.9
1985–1990	264 000	94 000	170 000	39.1	13.9	25.3	5.70	100	53.6	52.2	55.0
1990–1995	265 000	93 000	172 000	35.5	12.5	23.1	5.15	85	55.3	53.7	56.8
1995–2000	268 000	93 000	175 000	32.7	11.3	21.3	4.62	70	56.9	55.2	58.7
2000–2005	265 000	95 000	171 000	29.7	10.6	19.1	4.00	56	58.1	56.4	59.9
2005–2010	265 000	90 000	175 000	27.7	9.4	18.3	3.55	49	60.7	59.0	62.4
* CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)

While limited, evidence suggests that disasters can cause human populations to increase in the long term, rather than decrease. Documented fertility spikes followed the Khmer Rouge conflict and 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami - potential causes may include reduced access to contraception and families desiring more children following child death.[8] In Haiti's case, the fertility rate nearly tripled after the quake, and is likely to remain elevated (above pre-quake levels) for long after.[9]

Births and deaths

[10]

Year	Population	Live births	Deaths	Natural increase	Crude birth rate	Crude death rate	Rate of natural increase	TFR
2005	9,292,282	~258,325	~87,347	~170,978	27.8	9.4	18.4	3.5
2006	9,445,412	~258,804	~87,842	~170,962	27.4	9.3	18.2	3.4
2007	9,602,305	~260,222	~87,381	~172,841	27.1	9.1	18.0	3.4
2008	9,761,929	~260,644	~87,857	~172,787	26.7	9.0	17.7	3.3
2009	9,923,243	~261,874	~87,325	~174,549	26.4	8.8	17.6	3.3
2010	10,085,216	~262,216	~200,000	~62,216	26.0	19.8	6.2	3.2
2011	10,248,306	~265,431	~88,135	~177,296	25.9	8.6	17.3
2012	10,413,211	~267,620	~88,512	~179,108	25.7	8.5	17.2	3.2
2013	10,579,230	~247,025	~84,634	~162,391	23.35	8	15.35	2.88

Number of births and deaths are calculated - based on Crude Birth and Death Rates.

Fertility and births

The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):[11]

Year	CBR (Total)	TFR (Total)	CBR (Urban)	TFR (Urban)	CBR (Rural)	TFR (Rural)
1994–95	34	4.8 (3.0)	31	3.3 (2.2)	35	5.9 (3.7)
2000	32.6	4.7 (2.7)	29.4	3.3 (2.0)	34.0	5.8 (3.4)
2005–2006	28.7	4.0 (2.4)	26.2	2.8 (1.8)	30.1	5.0 (2.9)
2012	27.8	3.5 (2.2)	24.4	2.6 (1.9)	29.4	4.4 (2.6)
2016-17	24.3	3.0 (1.9)	21.1	2.1 (1.5)	26.3	3.9 (2.3)

Other demographic statistics

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2019.[12]

• One birth every 2 minutes
• One death every 6 minutes
• One net migrant every 15 minutes
• Net gain of one person every 4 minutes

Demographic statistics according to the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[1]

Population

10,788,440 (July 2018 est.)

Ethnic groups

black 95%, mixed and white 5%

Age structure

Population pyramid of Haiti in 2017

0-14 years: 32.27% (male 1,733,920 /female 1,747,387)

15-24 years: 21.11% (male 1,139,188 /female 1,137,754)

25-54 years: 37.32% (male 1,997,816 /female 2,028,495)

55-64 years: 5.1% (male 262,494 /female 287,515)

65 years and over: 4.21% (male 199,617 /female 254,254) (2018 est.)

Median age

total: 23.3 years. Country comparison to the world: 172nd

male: 23.1 years

female: 23.6 years (2018 est.)

Birth rate

22.6 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 65th

Death rate

7.5 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 111st

Total fertility rate

2.66 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 65th

Net migration rate

-2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 163th

Population growth rate

1.31% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 84th

Mother's mean age at first birth

22.8 years (2016/7 est.)

note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

Contraceptive prevalence rate

34.3% (2016/17)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 62.3 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio: 54.8 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio: 7.5 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio: 13.3 (2015 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 64.6 years

male: 61.9 years

female: 67.2 years (2018 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 55.3% of total population (2018)

rate of urbanization: 2.9% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 58.7%, Protestant 33.5% (Baptist 15.4%, Pentecostal 14.9%, Adventist 3%, Methodist 1.5%, other 0.7%), vodou 2.1%, other 4.6%, none 1.2% (2018 est.)

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

Education expenditures

2.4% of GDP (2016) Country comparison to the world: 162nd

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)

total population: 60.7%

male: 64.3%

female: 57.3% (2015 est.)

Languages

• French (official)
• Haitian Creole (official)

Nationality

• noun:Haitian(s)
• adjective: Haitian

Languages

Taíno was the major pre-Columbian language in the region of what is Haiti (or Ayti), a name rooted in the language to refer to the entire island of Hispaniola[13][14] to mean, "land of high mountains."[15]

Today, the Republic of Haiti has two official languages. They are French and Haitian Creole; the latter, a French-based creole where 90% of its vocabulary is derived from, with influences from Portuguese, Spanish, Taíno, and West African languages.[16] French is the principal written and administratively authorized language (as well as the main language of the press) and is spoken by 42% of Haitians.[17][18] It is spoken by most educated Haitians, is the medium of instruction in most schools, and is used in the business sector. It is also used in ceremonial events such as weddings, graduations and church masses.

Haiti is one of two independent nations in the Americas (along with Canada) to designate French as an official language; the other French-speaking areas are all overseas départements, or collectivités, of France. Haitian Creole,[19] which has recently undergone a standardization, is spoken by virtually the entire population of Haiti.[20] It is related to the other French creoles, but most closely to Antillean Creole and Louisiana Creole variants.

Spanish, though not official, is spoken by a growing amount of the population, and is spoken more frequently near the border with the Dominican Republic. English is increasingly spoken among the young and in the business sector.[21]

Religion

Main articles: Religion in Haiti and Haitian Vodou

The state religion is Roman Catholicism which 55–60% of the population professes. 30–35% of Haitians practice Protestantism(mostly Pentecostalism.An important percentage of the population practice Vodou, mostly along with another religion.[1] The main religions practiced in Haiti are Roman Catholicism, Pentecostalism, Islam, and Judaism. In addition, the protestant population is continuing to grow, along with Islam and Judaism. Almost 99% of Haitians claim at least one religion, with a part of them practicing some part of voodoo. [22]

Voodoo is rare among the urban elite and is often compared to Cuban Santeria due to the large Cuban population in Haiti. [23] The practice of voodoo revolves around family spirits called Loua that protect children. To repay the spirits, children perform two ceremonies where the Loua are given gifts like food and drinks. That does depend of the monetary status of these families, poorer families wait until there is a need to perform the rituals. [24]

Voodoo in relation to Christianity came along two different paths, the path with the Catholics and the path with the protestants. For the Catholic path; under the French the slaves were not allowed to practice Voodoo, but they were allowed to occasionally have dances on the weekend. These dances turned out to be Voodoo services, until they were liberated in 1804. Most Haitians see practicing Voodoo and Christianity as normal due to the many components they share. The catholic church wasn't always as accepting of Voodoo as it is now, in 1941-1942 a holy war was waged against Voodoo killing many of the higher ups in the Voodoo religion. This war ended around 1950 when the Catholics decided give up the prosecution of those who practiced Voodoo and to have a relative peace. The path with the protestants was less peaceful. The Protestants came to Haiti in 1970 and since then they have been bitter enemies of Voodoo, most often calling it devil worship. [25]

Education

Main article: Education in Haiti

Although public education at the primary level is now free, private and parochial schools provide around 75% of educational programs offered.

In recent years, several annual literacy campaigns launched in by the Martelly administration has increased overall literacy among adults in Haiti.[26] UNESCO projects an overall literacy rate of 61.1% in Haiti by 2015.[27] As of December 2014, World Bank has reported that school enrollment has increased from 78% to 90% in Haiti, very close to the goal of universal child enrollment.[28]

Labor

In 2004, 300,000 children were restavecs, the practice of which is comparable to indentured service of minors.[29]

Emigration

Large-scale emigration, principally to the Dominican Republic, United States, and Canada (predominantly to Quebec, with other areas of the country) – but also to Cuba, other areas of Europe and the Americas (like Argentina) such as France (with French Guiana), Spain, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Ireland; and Venezuela, Brazil, Chile, the Bahamas and other Caribbean neighbors – has created what Haitians refer to as the Eleventh Department or the Diaspora. About one of every six Haitians live abroad.

Immigration

45,000 Westerners from the United States live in Haiti. They represent 0.4% of its total population.[30]

References

1. "World Factbook CENTRAL AMERICA : HAITI", The World Factbook, July 12, 2018 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
2. Kolbe, Athena R.; Royce A. Hutson (August 31, 2006). "Human rights abuse and other criminal violations in Port-au-Prince, Haiti: a random survey of households" (PDF). The Lancet. 368: 864–873. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69211-8. PMID 16950364. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
3. "Population ages 15-64 (% of total) - Data". Data.worldbank.org. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
4. ""World Population prospects – Population division"". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
5. ""Overall total population" – World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision" (xslx). population.un.org (custom data acquired via website). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
6. "Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision". Esa.unorg. Archived from the original on 6 May 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
7. "United Nations Statistics Division - Demographic and Social Statistics". unstats.un.org. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
8. Frankenberg, Laurito & Thomas, Duke University, 2014, The Demography of Disasters
9. "Haiti's rate of fertility tripled - report". jamaica-gleaner.com. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
10. "DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE: HAITI" (PDF). Caricomstats.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
11. "MEASURE DHS: Demographic and Health Surveys". microdata.worldbank.org. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
12. "Haiti Population 2019", World Population Review
13. Guitar, Lynne; Ferbel-Azcárate, Pedro; Estevez, Jorge (2006). "iii: Ocama-Daca Taíno (Hear me, I am Taíno)". Indigenous Resurgence in the Contemporary Caribbean. New York: Peter Lang Publishing. p. 41. ISBN 0-8204-7488-6. LCCN 2005012816. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
14. Senauth, Frank (2011). The Making and Destruction of Haiti. Bloomington, Indiana, USA: AuthorHouse. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-4567-5384-9. LCCN 2011907203.
15. Haydn, Joseph; Vincent, Benjamin (1860). "A Dictionary of Dates Relating to All Ages and Nations: For Universal Reference Comprehending Remarkable Occurrences, Ancient and Modern, The Foundation, Laws, and Governments of Countries-Their Progress In Civilization, Industry, Arts and Science-Their Achievements In Arms-And Their Civil, Military, And Religious Institutions, And Particularly of the British Empire". p. 321. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
16. Bonenfant, Jacques L. (December 1989). Haggerty, Richard A. (ed.). "History of Haitian-Creole: From Pidgin to Lingua Franca and English Influence on the Language" (PDF). Library of Congress Federal Research Division.
17. La langue française dans le monde 2014 (PDF). Nathan. 2014. ISBN 978-2-09-882654-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
18. À ce propos, voir l'essai Prétendus Créolismes : le couteau dans l'igname, Jean-Robert Léonidas, Cidihca, Montréal 1995
19. Valdman, Albert. "Creole: The National Language of Haiti". Footsteps. Indiana University Creole Institute. 2 (4): 36–39.
20. "creolenationallanguageofhaiti". Indiana University. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
21. "What Languages Are Spoken in Haiti?". WorldAtlas. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
22. "Religious Beliefs In Haiti". WorldAtlas. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
23. "Religious Beliefs In Haiti". WorldAtlas. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
24. "Haiti - RELIGION". countrystudies.us. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
25. "Haiti: Introduction to Voodoo". faculty.webster.edu. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
26. "Haiti – Social : The fight against illiteracy, one of the Government's priorities". Haitilibre.com. September 9, 2014.
27. ""Literacy Statistics trends 1985–2015"" (PDF). Uis.unesco.org. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
28. "Extreme poverty drops in Haiti. Is it sustainable?". Worldbank.org. 4 December 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
29. Cohen, Gigi (2004-03-24). "Haiti's Dark secret:The Restavecs". National Public Radio.
30. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/18/world/americas/18americans.html?_r=0