Demographics of Haiti

According to the 2019 revision of the World Population Prospects[2][3] the total population of Haiti in 2018 was 11,123,178, as compared to 3,221,000 in 1950. In 2015, the proportion of children below the age of 15 was 36.2%. 59.7% of the population was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 4.5% was 65 years or older.[4] According to the World Bank, Haiti's dependency rate is 7.51 dependents per 100 working age persons.[5]

The registration of vital events in Haiti is incomplete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. [4]

While limited, evidence suggests that natural and man-made disasters can cause human populations to increase in the long term, rather than decrease. The Khmer Rouge conflict and 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami were followed by documented fertility spikes; potential causes may include reduced access to contraception and families desiring more children following child death.[7] In Haiti's case, the fertility rate nearly tripled after the 2010 Haiti earthquake and is likely to remain above pre-quake levels for many years.[8]

Number of births and deaths are calculated based on Crude Birth and Death Rates.[9]

Demographic statistics below are based on the 2019 World Population Review.[11]

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

Demographic statistics below are based on the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[12]

Population

10,788,440 (July 2018 est.)

Ethnic composition

Black 95%, mixed and White 5%

Age structure

Population pyramid of Haiti in 2017

Haiti's population pyramid can be categorized as "expansive," indicating a growing population. However, it is categorized as being at stage 3 of demographic transition, as the birth and death rate are falling and net population is increasing at a slower rate.

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

Overall: 23.3 years. Country ranking: 172/195

Male: 23.1 years

Female: 23.6 years (2018 est.)

Birth rate

22.6 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country ranking: 65/195

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: 163rd

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)

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

Today, the Republic of Haiti has two official languages, French and Haitian Creole. Haitian Creole is a French-based creole with 90% of its vocabulary derived from or influenced by Portuguese, Spanish, Taíno, and various West African languages.[16] French is the primary written and administrative language (as well as the main language of the press) and is spoken by 42% of Haitians.[17][18] The language is generally spoken by educated Haitians, is the medium of instruction in most schools, and is used in the business sector. It is also spoken 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; other French-speaking areas are all overseas départements, or collectivités, of France. Haitian Creole,[19] which was recently standardized, is spoken by virtually the entire population of Haiti.[20] It is related to the other French creoles but most closely to the Antillean Creole and Louisiana Creole variants.

Spanish, though not an official language, is spoken by a growing percentage of the Haitian population. Spanish is spoken more frequently near Haiti's border with the Dominican Republic. English is increasingly spoken by the young and those within the business sector.[21]

The most common religions in Haiti are Roman Catholicism, Pentecostalism, Islam, and Judaism. The state religion is Roman Catholicism, which is professed by 55–60% of the population. 30–35% of Haitians practice Protestantism (mostly Pentecostalism), which arrived in Haiti in the 1970s.[12] Protestantism, Islam, and Judaism are growing religions in the region. Almost 99% of Haitians claim to be a part of at least one religion, with a fraction of them practicing some part of Vodou along with another religion.[22]

Vodou bears similarities to Cuban Santeria due to the large Cuban population in Haiti.[23] The practice of Vodou revolves around family spirits called Lwa that protect children. To repay the spirits, children perform two ceremonies where the Lwa are given gifts like food and drinks. The timing of the ceremonies depends on the monetary status of the family performing them; poorer families try to save money, waiting until there is a need to perform the rituals.[24] The practice of Vodou is rare among the urban elite.

Modern day Vodou has been shaped by both Protestant and Catholic Christianity. Under the rule of the Catholic French, the population was not allowed to practice Vodou. However, they were occasionally allowed to have dances on the weekends. These dances were actually disguised Vodou services. The underground practice of Vodou continued until Haiti gained its independence in 1804. Most Haitians see practicing both Vodou and Christianity as normal due to their significant similarities. The Catholic Church, however, wasn't always as accepting of Vodou. In 1941-42, a holy war was declared against Vodou, leading to the deaths of many high level religious officials in the Vodou religion. Persecution of the religion largely ended in 1950 when the Catholics give up trying to prosecute those who practiced Vodou. Protestants, however, are still critical of the religion, often describing it as "devil worship".[25]

A fictionalized version of Vodou, commonly called "voodoo", has been used in American movies and by authors such as H.P. Lovecraft. Vodou and voodoo are not the conceptually the same, although the idea of "voodoo" lives on in American pop culture.[26]

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

In recent years, several literacy campaigns launched by the Martelly administration have increased adult literacy in Haiti.[27] UNESCO projects an overall literacy rate of 61.1% in Haiti by 2015.[28]

As of December 2014, the World Bank has reported an increase in school enrollment from 78% to 90% in Haiti, close to the federal goal of universal child enrollment.[29]

In 2004, approximately 300,000 children were restavecs, or indentured servants.[30]

Large-scale emigration, principally to the Dominican Republic, United States, and Canada (predominantly to Quebec) has created what Haitians refer to as the Eleventh Department or the Diaspora. Significant numbers of Haitians have also immigrated to Cuba, France and French Guiana, Spain, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Ireland, Venezuela, Brazil, Chile, the Bahamas and other Caribbean countries. Approximately one in every six Haitians lives abroad.[31]

45,000 Americans live in Haiti. They represent 0.4% of Haiti's total population.[32]