With a population of nearly 10 million people, the Republic of Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere.

-About 80 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

-Most Haitians live on $2 per day.

-Economic growth was negative in 2001 and 2002, and flat in 2003.

-About two-thirds of all Haitians work in the agricultural sector which consists mainly of small-scale subsistence farming. Mangoes and coffee are two of Haiti’s most important exports.

-Haiti has 14 airports; 4 have paved runways.

-In the last decade there has been little formal job creation.

-It has consistently ranked among the most corrupt countries in the world on the Corruption Perceptions Index.

-Foreign aid makes up approximately 40% of the government’s budget. The largest donor is the U.S. followed by Canada and the European Union.

-Nearly two thirds of the Haitian population is illiterate.

-Haiti has more than 15 hundred primary schools which are mostly managed by communities or religious organizations. Enrollment in primary schools is about 67 percent; less than 30 percent will reach 6th grade. Enrollment in secondary schools is only about 20 percent.