Caribbean · Haiti
Haiti Demographics: Migration, Fertility and Population Change
Haiti’s population is still growing while fertility is far below its mid-20th-century level. The Haitian Institute of Statistics and Informatics (IHSI) estimates 11,867,032 residents in 2024; net migration remains negative, and mass internal displacement is redistributing people within the country.
Main sources: IHSI, United Nations Population Division, World Bank World Development Indicators, and IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix.
Core Demographic Indicators
Haiti’s Current Population Is Not a New Census Count
Haiti’s most recent completed general population and housing census was conducted in 2003. The 8,373,750 people counted in that census remain the latest nationwide census benchmark. More recent population totals are estimates or projections rather than a fresh national headcount.
This distinction matters because a census count and a modelled mid-year estimate answer different statistical questions. For 2003 itself, the UN World Population Prospects historical series gives 8,759,913 people, above the census count. The difference should not be read as two competing counts of the same measure.
Data context: The 2024 IHSI figure of 11,867,032 is an official de jure population estimate. The World Bank’s 2025 population value of 11,906,095 is based on an international population series and should not be presented as a 2025 Haitian census result.
| Population measure | Population | Year | Measure type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fourth General Population and Housing Census | 8,373,750 | 2003 | Census count | IHSI |
| UN historical population series | 8,759,913 | 2003 | Historical mid-year estimate | UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Official national population estimate | 11,867,032 | 2024 | De jure estimate | IHSI |
| International population series | 11,906,095 | 2025 | Mid-year projection | World Bank WDI / UN WPP |
Why the population measures differ
- The 2003 value of 8,373,750 is a census count; the UN value of 8,759,913 is a modelled mid-year estimate for the same calendar year.
- The 2024 IHSI total is an official national estimate, not a new census count.
- UN World Population Prospects 2024 classifies 1950–2023 as historical estimates and 2024 onward as projections.
Population Growth Has Continued Across Seven Decades
The UN historical series rises from 3.27 million in 1950 to 11.64 million in 2023. The increase is long-running, but the annual rate is not constant. IHSI’s current national series places average annual growth at 1.28% for 2020–2025.
Haiti Population, 1950–2023
Selected years from the UN WPP 2024 historical mid-year estimate series
UN World Population Prospects 2024. The chart stops in 2023 so historical estimates are not mixed with the projection period.
| Year | Population | Measure type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3,265,716 | Historical mid-year estimate | UN WPP 2024 |
| 1960 | 3,858,447 | Historical mid-year estimate | UN WPP 2024 |
| 1970 | 4,635,126 | Historical mid-year estimate | UN WPP 2024 |
| 1980 | 5,614,494 | Historical mid-year estimate | UN WPP 2024 |
| 1990 | 6,854,444 | Historical mid-year estimate | UN WPP 2024 |
| 2000 | 8,303,151 | Historical mid-year estimate | UN WPP 2024 |
| 2003 | 8,759,913 | Historical mid-year estimate | UN WPP 2024 |
| 2010 | 9,803,299 | Historical mid-year estimate | UN WPP 2024 |
| 2020 | 11,243,846 | Historical mid-year estimate | UN WPP 2024 |
| 2023 | 11,637,402 | Historical mid-year estimate | UN WPP 2024 |
Fertility Has Fallen by More Than Half Since 1950
Haiti’s total fertility rate was above six births per woman in 1950 and 1960. The UN historical series places it at 4.39 in 2000, 3.50 in 2010, 2.80 in 2020 and 2.66 in 2023. World Bank WDI reports 2.6 births per woman for 2024.
Falling fertility does not mean that the population must decline immediately. Total fertility is a period rate, while population change also reflects the size of reproductive-age cohorts, mortality and migration. A fertility rate above the broad 2.1 replacement-level benchmark can also coexist with a positive population growth rate.
Haiti Total Fertility Rate, 1950–2023
Births per woman in the UN WPP historical series, with a broad 2.1 replacement reference
UN World Population Prospects 2024. The 2.1 line is a broad replacement-level benchmark, not a fixed national threshold for Haiti.
Why fertility can fall while population still grows
- The historical fertility rate fell from 6.25 births per woman in 1950 to 2.66 in 2023.
- The population nevertheless rose from 3.27 million to 11.64 million across the same historical series.
- Fertility is one component of population change; it is not the same measure as the annual population growth rate.
International Migration and Internal Displacement Measure Different Movements
Haiti’s migration picture cannot be reduced to one number. Net migration measures the balance of cross-border migration, while internal displacement records people who have moved within Haiti. The two measures affect demographic geography in different ways.
| Measure | Latest value | Reference period | Crosses national border? | Demographic meaning | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net migration | −32,052 | 2025 | Yes | Balance of international inflows and outflows in the population accounting series | UN WPP via World Bank WDI |
| Internally displaced population | 1,466,862 | March–May 2026 | No | People displaced from their usual place of residence but still located within Haiti | IOM DTM Round 13 |
Do not subtract internal displacement from Haiti’s population. An internally displaced person remains part of the national population. Internal displacement changes where people are located inside the country; international net migration changes the cross-border population balance.
Most Internally Displaced People Are Now Recorded Outside the Capital
IOM DTM Round 13 recorded 1,466,862 internally displaced people in data collected from 14 March to 17 May 2026, about 1% more than in the previous round. The geographic distribution is no longer concentrated only in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area: 79% of IDPs were recorded in the provinces and 21% in the capital.
Accommodation patterns are also dispersed. IOM reported 84% of IDPs outside displacement sites, mainly in arrangements such as host families or rentals, while 16% were in sites. These percentages describe two different dimensions—location and accommodation—and should not be added together.
| Dimension | Category | Share of IDPs | Reference | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geographic location | Provinces outside the capital | 79% | Round 13 · May 2026 | IOM DTM |
| Geographic location | Port-au-Prince metropolitan area | 21% | Round 13 · May 2026 | IOM DTM |
| Accommodation | Outside displacement sites | 84% | Round 13 · May 2026 | IOM DTM |
| Accommodation | In displacement sites | 16% | Round 13 · May 2026 | IOM DTM |
What displacement changes in a demographic profile
- With 79% of IDPs recorded in provinces, current displacement affects the population distribution well beyond the capital metropolitan area.
- The 1,466,862 IDP total is a stock of people displaced within Haiti, not an estimate of international emigrants.
- The IOM distribution should not be converted into an urbanization rate; provincial displacement can include urban, peri-urban and rural destinations.
Haiti Has Shifted From a Predominantly Rural to a Majority-Urban Population
Under the national urban definition used in UN World Urbanization Prospects 2025, 12.2% of Haiti’s population was urban in 1950. The share reached 36.8% in 2000, 46.1% in 2010 and 52.6% in 2020. By 2025, the series places the urban share at 55.6%.
The 2025 urban share corresponds to about 6.62 million people in the World Bank WDI urban population series. Urbanization is a long-term settlement classification measure, not a direct measure of internal displacement. The recent IOM displacement data therefore complement the urbanization series rather than replace it.
Urban Share of Haiti’s Population, 1950–2025
Share living in areas classified as urban under the national definition used by UN WUP
UN World Urbanization Prospects 2025, national definitions. National definitions of urban areas can change and are not identical across countries.
| Year | Urban share | Measure type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 12.2% | National-definition urban share | UN WUP 2025 |
| 1960 | 15.2% | National-definition urban share | UN WUP 2025 |
| 1970 | 19.3% | National-definition urban share | UN WUP 2025 |
| 1980 | 20.6% | National-definition urban share | UN WUP 2025 |
| 1990 | 24.4% | National-definition urban share | UN WUP 2025 |
| 2000 | 36.8% | National-definition urban share | UN WUP 2025 |
| 2010 | 46.1% | National-definition urban share | UN WUP 2025 |
| 2020 | 52.6% | National-definition urban share | UN WUP 2025 |
| 2025 | 55.6% | National-definition urban share | UN WUP 2025 |
Haiti’s Demographic Direction Combines Continued Growth and High Mobility
The national population remains on a growth path: IHSI reports average annual growth of 1.28% for 2020–2025.
The UN historical TFR series fell from 6.25 births per woman in 1950 to 2.66 in 2023; WDI reports 2.6 for 2024.
IOM recorded 1.47 million internally displaced people in May 2026, with 79% located outside the capital.
The UN WUP national-definition series places 55.6% of Haiti’s population in urban areas in 2025.
These measures should be read together but not merged. Fertility describes childbearing rates, net migration captures cross-border balance, internal displacement tracks movement within national borders, and urbanization describes where the population is classified as living. They operate on different time scales and use different statistical definitions.
Data Sources and Methodology
The page uses the strongest available source for each measure rather than forcing every indicator into one dataset. IHSI is used for the national population estimate, the 2003 census benchmark and the 2020–2025 average population growth rate. UN World Population Prospects supplies the consistent historical population and fertility series, while UN World Urbanization Prospects supplies the national-definition urban share. IOM DTM is used only for current internal displacement.
Historical population and fertility values shown in the charts are selected years from UN WPP 2024 data processed for distribution by Our World in Data. The current WDI values are rounded as displayed by the World Bank. No missing years have been interpolated for the tables on this page.
| Source | Release or data year | Used for | Measure type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haitian Institute of Statistics and Informatics (IHSI) | 2003; 2024; 2020–2025 | Census benchmark, official 2024 population estimate, average population growth | Census count; de jure estimate; average annual growth rate |
| United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 | 1950–2023 historical series | Historical population and fertility trends | Modelled historical mid-year estimates and period fertility rates |
| World Bank World Development Indicators | 2024–2025 | Current fertility value, 2025 population series value, net migration, urban population count | UN-sourced modelled indicators and projections distributed through WDI |
| United Nations World Urbanization Prospects 2025 | 1950–2025 series used | Urban population share trend | Urban share under national definitions |
| IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix, Haiti Round 13 | Data collected 14 March–17 May 2026 | IDP total, provincial/capital distribution, site/outside-site distribution | Internal displacement stock and distribution assessment |
| Our World in Data | UN WPP 2024 and UN WUP 2025 processed datasets | Machine-readable extraction of selected historical UN series values | Processed distribution layer for original UN datasets |
Methodological Safety Note: Haiti has not completed a new general population census since 2003, so recent national totals should be identified as estimates or projections rather than census counts. The IHSI 2024 estimate and UN/WDI population series are not interchangeable measures. UN WPP 2024 treats 1950–2023 as historical estimates and 2024 onward as projections. The urbanization series follows national definitions of urban areas, which may be revised over time. Net migration measures cross-border balance; IOM internal displacement does not. The 1,466,862 IDP figure therefore must not be subtracted from Haiti’s national population or treated as an emigration total.