- 80% of Haitians live under the poverty line, and 54% live in abject poverty. The average per capita income is 480 a year compared to 33,550 in the US.
- A typical worker in Haiti makes only 2.75 a day, because jobs are so scarce (approximately 70% do not have regular jobs). Those who do have jobs are afraid to speak out against unfair labor practices.
- Life expectancy in Haiti is 50 years for men, and 53 years for women.
- Haitians have the lowest calorie intake in the Americas, which has led to chronic and often fatal diseases. 25-40% of children under 5 suffer chronic malnutrition.
- 40% of school-aged children attend school regularly.
- Over 40% of the population is under 14, creating a high dependency ratio.
- More than 10% of all Haitian children die before age 5.
- Haiti has the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS in the Western Hemisphere, with 1 in 50 infected.
- Approximately 1% of Haiti's population owns more than 50% of the wealth.
- Haiti has 2583 miles of highways. Only 628 miles of these roads are paved.
- The worst abuses of Haitian children involve young people called restavek, or poor children who work as house servants for urban families. Their parents hope that host families will feed and educate their children, but some hosts physically and sexually abuse the restavek. Experts estimate that 300,000 Haitian children are living as slaves.
- Throughout the mid- and late-20th century, Haiti experienced a "brain drain" as educated professionals and business people left to escape brutal dictators. This weakened Haiti because it was left with fewer and fewer skilled workers to run businesses, health centers, government offices, and schools.
- Haiti is one of the least developed yet most densely populated countries in the Western Hemisphere. Population density is 747 people per square mile. Comparable in size to Haiti, Vermont's population density is 65.8 people per square mile. The US is 79.55 per square mile.
- Haiti is one of the few countries where the destruction of the original woodland is almost complete. A muddy ring surrounds the country's coastline where topsoil has washed into the sea.
- Only about 10% of all Haitian children enrolled in elementary school continue on to high school.
- Cockfighting is a traditional sport in Haiti. The roosters are fed raw meat and hot peppers soaked in the sun, to make them aggressive and tough.
- Only 53% of Haitians can read or write.
- The national sport of Haiti is soccer.
- 80% of Haitians are Catholic, 16% are Protestant, and 4% are other. Voodoo is often practiced alongside Christianity.
- Very few Haitians own cars, fewer than 5 out of 1,000. There is no railroad in Haiti. In the cities, people often take communal taxis and colorful public buses called "taptaps".
- Rape in Haiti has long been a problem and is used as a weapon and a means to control and manipulate women.
- More than 200,000 Haitians died and millions were left homeless in the 2010 earthquake. It was the strongest earthquake in 200 years.
- 80% of schools in Haiti are private, and religious groups run most of them. Students learn lessons in French and Creole.
- Most rivers in Haiti are polluted with human and other waste. Diseases such as hookworm and typhoid, which are transmitted by contaminated food and water, are common in Haiti.
- Only 54% of Haitians have access to sanitation facilities. Less than 1/2 have a regular source of safe drinking water.
- Haiti's infant mortality rate is high, at 74 deaths per 1,000 births. The maternal mortality rate is also high, at about 520 deaths per 100,000 births (compared to 14 per 100,000 in the US).
- Families who live in the country spend almost 60% of their income on food. The poorest groups spend 70% of their income on food.
- There is 1 hospital bed for every 10,000 inhabitants in Haiti. There are only about 8 doctors and 10 nurses for every 100,000 people.
- Nearly 79% of Haitian people live in rural areas.
