Statistics Related to Our Work
I. Context for Education
Source: CIA World Factbook
Background
In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island of Hispaniola, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean. Currently the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti continues to experience bouts of political instability and is its least literate country.
People and Society
Population
11,334,637 (2022 est.)
Ethnic groups
Black 95%, mixed and White 5%
Languages
Kreyòl (official), French (official)
Kreyòl is spoken by 95% of the population. French by at most 10%.
Religions
Catholic 55%, Protestant 29%, Vodou 2.1%, other 4.6%, none 10% (2018 est.)
Economy
Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. 80% live in poverty and the unemployment rate is 40.6%; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs. The minimum wage is less than USD $2.50 per day. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the agricultural sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming. The land remains vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters, exacerbated by the country’s widespread deforestation.
There is extreme poverty; enormous income inequalities; destabilization due to recent presidential assassination; US preferential market access; deteriorating human capital and infrastructure investments. Real GDP per capita $2,800 (2020 est.)
II. Government, Pre-k and Primary Data on Schools
Source: International Data and Economic Analysis USAID—For more information, each sector detail is further explained as to significance and method of investigation. Additionally, Secondary and Tertiary Education Information details are provided; https://idea.usaid.gov/cd/haiti/education, November 2022.
Note: Due to political unrest, violence, Covid, and then Cholera for the past 3 years, many schools have not opened at all or opened late; this is especially the case in the capital, Port-au-Prince, due to extreme violence. In the Grand Sud, a powerful earthquake on August 14, 2021, followed in 2 days by a Tropical Storm destroyed numerous schools, churches, and homes leaving few viable classroom sites.
| Haiti | Region | World | |
| General Education | |||
| Adolescents out of school (percentage of lower secondary school age) | N/A | 9.54 | 14.89 |
| Human Capital Index (HCI): Learning-adjusted years of school (LAYS) | 6.1 | 7.7 | 7.8 |
| Government expenditure on education, total (percentage of government expenditure) | 14.64 | 16.39 | 14.19 |
| Government expenditure on education, total (percentage of GDP) | 1.63 | 5.02 | 4.62 |
| Children out of school (percentage of primary school age) | 41.89 | 6.75 | 9.01 |
| Literacy | |||
| Youth literacy rate, population 15-24 years, both sexes (percentage) | 82.99 | 97.49 | 91.51 |
| Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, both sexes (percentage) | 61.69 | 92.34 | 84.59 |
| Primary Education | |||
| Government expenditure per student, primary (percentage of GDP per capita) | N/A | 16.53 | 15.47 |
| Trained teachers in primary education (percentage of total teachers) | N/A | 90.37 | 86.7 |
| Total net enrollment rate, primary, both sexes (percentage) | 58.11 | 92.88 | 91.51 |
| Gross enrollment ratio, pre-primary, both sexes (percentage) | 5.57 | 66.22 | 60.04 |
| Gross enrollment ratio, primary, both sexes (percentage) | 113.57 | 102.64 | 101.34 |
| Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (percentage) | 46 | 92.34 | 85.7 |
| Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP (percentage) | 0.63 | 1.66 | 1.75 |
| Pupil-trained teacher ratio in primary education (headcount basis) | N/A | 22.37 | 35.55 |
| Primary completion rate, total (percentage of relevant age group) | 48.52 | 93.2 | 89.5 |