Poverty
- Gross national income per capita is US$660, about half the total for Nicaragua, the second poorest country in the Americas [1]
- 78% of Haitians are poor (less than US$2 a day), and more than half (54%) live in extreme poverty (less than US$1 a day). [2]
- In rural areas, poverty and extreme poverty rates are estimated to be 84% and 69% respectively. [3]
- Over two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs. [4]
- Life expectancy is 61 years. [5]
- Half of children under 5 are malnourished. [6]
- Over 7% of children die at birth. [7]
- For every 100,000 births, 523 women died in Haiti, compared to eight maternal deaths for every 100,000 births in Europe. [8]
- 80 out of 1,000 Haitian children never see their first birthday. [9]
Education
Enrollment:
- 50% of primary school age children are not enrolled in school. [10]
- One-third of girls over six never go to school. [11]
- More than 50% of children attending school are overaged. [12]
Retention:
- Approximately 30% of children attending primary school will not make it to third grade; 60% will abandon school before sixth grade. [13]
Quality:
- Less than 40% of non-public schools are accredited. [14]
- Only 15% of teachers at the primary level have basic teacher qualifications (including university degrees), and nearly 25% have never even attended secondary school. [15]
- Approximately 75% of all teachers lack adequate training; many have just a 9th grade or 12th grade education, with no teacher training at all. [16]
- Less than 20% of schools have electricity; 39% have potable water; 15% have a library. [17]
Cost:
- Public education represents less than 20% of enrollment, and less than 10% of schools, at the primary level. [18]
- Estimated annual school costs average US$131 per child (including uniform, books/materials and transportation). [19]
Literacy:
- 37.9% of the population is unable to read or write, [20] as compared to only 12% illiteracy in the rest of Latin America. [21]
Country Info
- Population: 9.7 million (2007) [22]
- Age structure: [23]
- 0-14 years: 38.1% (male 1,735,917/female 1,704,383)
- 15-64 years: 58.5% (male 2,621,059/female 2,665,447)
- 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 120,040/female 188,690) (2009 est.)
- Median Age: 20.2 years
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[1] World Bank website 2010 (worldbank.org)
[2] Institut Haïtien de Statistique et D’Informatique et al., 2001
[3] Institut Haïtien de Statistique et D’Informatique et al., 2001
[4] CIA World Factbook
[5] Human Development Report 2009 & World Bank website 2009 (worldbank.org)
[6] UNDP Human Development Report 2004
[7] CIA World Factbook
[8] Doctors Without Borders 2006
[9] USAID 2004
[10] UNICEF website 2009 (unicef.org)
[11] Haiti Interim Cooperation Framework Report, 2004; HICF is a project of Haitian Government in collaboration with 26 donor countries
[12] UNICEF Humanitarian Action Report 2008 (unicef.org)
[13] UNICEF Humanitarian Action Report 2008 (unicef.org)
[14] 2002-3 School Census
[15] World Bank 2007 Project Appraisal Document for Education for All Program
[16] World Bank 2007 Project Appraisal Document for Education for All Program
[17] HICF Report 2004
[18] World Bank website 2009 (worldbank.org)
[19] UNICEF 2006
[20] Human Development Report 2009
[21] UNDP Haïti Rapport National Sur Le Developpment Humain, 2002
[22] World Bank website 2009 (worldbank.org)
[23] CIA World Factbook