Haiti

Haiti: strong, sustained growth, 1980–2024

The poorest economy in the Americas, Haiti has been battered by political instability, the devastating 2010 earthquake, and, in recent years, gang violence that has paralyzed much of the capital, leaving it heavily reliant on remittances and foreign aid. Between 1980 and 2024, Haiti's GDP per capita grew from $246 to $2,143 (current US$), a compound annual growth rate of 5.0% — strong, sustained growth. Annual GDP growth averaged 0.5% with a year-to-year standard deviation of 3.8 points, reflecting relatively stable macroeconomic conditions. Structurally, agriculture's share of the economy moved from 31.1% to 15.9% of GDP (a classic decline as the economy industrialized/modernized), while services rose from 42.6% to 48.3% of GDP, underscoring a shift toward a services-driven economy. On human development, life expectancy rose from 50.0 to 65.1 years, while tertiary school enrollment moved from 0.8% to 1.1%, while the urban population share grew from 20.6% to 55.0%.

What this growth cost: Growth was not without cost: per-capita CO2 emissions rose from 0.15 to 0.30 tonnes CO2e per person; income inequality (Gini index) narrowed from 59.0 to 41.1; the poverty headcount ratio fell from 75.1% to 40.4%.