cription: two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red
with a centered white rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which
contains a palm tree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll
bearing the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength)

Economy

Economy - overview: About 75% of the population lives in abject
poverty. Nearly 70% of all Haitians depend on the agriculture sector,
which consists mainly of small-scale subsistence farming and employs
about two-thirds of the economically active work force. The country
has experienced little or no job creation since President PREVAL took
office in February 1996. Failure to reach agreements with
international sponsors have denied Haiti badly needed budget and
development assistance. Meeting aid conditions in 1997 will be
especially challenging in the face of mounting popular criticism of
reforms.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $6.8 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 2% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,000 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 34.8%
industry: 23%
services: 42.2% (1991 est.)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 18% (1996)

Labor force:
total: 2.3 million
by occupation: agriculture 66%, services 25%, industry 9%
note : shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1982)

Unemployment rate: 60% (1996 est.)

Budget:
revenues : $240 million (est.)
expenditures: $250 million including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY94/95 est.)

Industries: sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, tourism,
light assembly industries based on imported parts

Industrial production growth rate: 2.5% (1995 est.)

Electricity - capacity: 216,500 kW (1995)

Electricity - production: 379 million kWh (1995)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 33 kWh (1995 est.)

Agriculture - products: coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn,
sorghum; wood

Exports:
total value: $123 million (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: light manufactures 65%, coffee 19%, other agriculture 8%,
other 8%
partners: US 73.5%, EU 19.4% (1995)

Imports:
total value : $666 million (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: machines and manufactures 34%, food and beverages 22%,
petroleum products 14%, chemicals 10%, fats and oils 9%
partners: US 65.0%, EU 13.9% (1995)

Debt - external: $827 million (September 1995 est.)

Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency: 1 gourde (G) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: gourdes (G)