Latin America and the Caribbean

Haiti

A woman sits inside an informal tent holding a baby in her arms.
Fabiola, 22, holds her 4-month-old child, Kensly, who was born in this tent in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. More than 362,000 people – half of whom are in Port-au-Prince – have been displaced by armed violence and live in overcrowded conditions. Nearly one in four children in Haiti suffers from chronic malnutrition. Photo: OCHA/Giles Clarke
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Haiti continues to face a severe humanitarian and protection crisis, driven by political uncertainty, extreme violence, and recurring natural hazards. In 2024, armed groups expanded their control beyond the capital Port-au-Prince, exploiting the erosion of state authority and worsening the breakdown of essential services. As of early 2025, 42 per cent of health care facilities in the capital are closed. Only 27 per cent of hospitals were fully operational nationwide, while 1,606 schools are currently closed, disrupting access to education for more than 243,000 children. Most closures are concentrated in the Ouest and Centre Departments, where insecurity, school occupation and displacement have intensified.

Horrific violence is used against women, children, and the elderly. Reports of gender-based violence remain rampant, with more than 6,500 cases reported last year, 64 per cent of which were rape or sexual assaults. Forced recruitment of children by armed groups has increased by 70 per cent between mid-2023 and mid-2024. Right now, up to half of all armed group members are children. Fear permeates daily life. Many people avoid seeking medical care, going to work, or sending their children to school due to the constant threat of stray bullets, kidnappings, or armed groups violence. In the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, 16 per cent of children are unable to attend school, with rates rising to 43 per cent in Cité Soleil a highly vulnerable commune in Port-au-Prince.

Meanwhile, a cholera epidemic continues to affect all 10 departments, with nearly 9,500 suspected cases recorded in 2024. 

Forced displacement has reached unprecedented levels. The number of internally displaced persons in Haiti tripled last year to over one million Haitians at the end of 2024, while large scale displacements are also observed in 2025. Deportations from the Dominican Republic have further strained humanitarian needs, with an estimated 350,000 Haitians expected to be forcibly returned this year.

In 2025, Haiti is expected to face one of its most severe humanitarian crises in decades. Escalating violence collapse of the basic services, climate shocks, and mass deportations is expected to worsen already dire conditions. Haiti is one of only four countries worldwide with people in famine like conditions, and they are desperate. New data as of April indicates a worsening food security situation. Agricultural disruptions and displacements have pushed 5.7 million Haitians – nearly half the population – in acute food insecurity. The number includes 2.1 million people in an “emergency” stage of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) or Phase 4, where they are forced to sell assets to overcome extreme shortages of food and 8,400 in the “catastrophe” or “famine” stage of the IPC or Phase 5 – the most severe phase of hunger. At this stage, families suffer from extreme hunger and high levels of malnutrition, with some facing life-threatening health conditions. Many survive by selling their last belongings, eating less than 2,100 calories a day and relying on just a few food groups. As violence spreads outside of Port-au-Prince to the main agricultural center (Artibonite), hunger could further increase. Without urgent improvements in security, access, and resources, humanitarian needs are expected to continue to rise, trapping millions of Haitians in a deepening cycle of vulnerability and deprivation.

In 2025, humanitarian partners aim to assist 3.9 million of the 6 million people in need across Haiti. The response will prioritize the provision of protection services, particularly for women, girls, and boys exposed to escalating risks of gender-based violence, forced recruitment, and exploitation. Ensuring access to essential health care, emergency water, sanitation, and hygiene services, and cholera outbreak response will be a priority. Support for nutrition and food security is also critical to averting famine, while efforts will also aim to help displaced and vulnerable out-of-school children return to safe, protective learning environments. To meet these urgent needs, the humanitarian community is seeking US$908.2 million. Flexible and timely funding will be critical to allow humanitarian actors to scale-up responses swiftly as security and access conditions permit.

Overview of the Flood Response in Haiti

For a full overview of the humanitarian response, visit humanitarianaction.info
Total population
11.9M 2025
People in need
6M 2025
People to be covered by assistance
3.9M 2025
Total requirements (USD)
908.2M 2025
Funding coverage (%)
7.74 2025
Funding gap (USD)
837.9M 2025

Top 5 donors

United States of America, Government of
$23.7 million
European Commission
$12.8 million
Canada, Government of
$8.1 million
Sweden, Government of
$7.2 million
Switzerland, Government of
$4.4 million

Top 5 funded sectors

Abris et BNA
$10.6 million
Protection
$10.3 million
Santé
$7.7 million
Not specified
$5.8 million
Éducation
$5.8 million

#The Haiti Humanitarian Fund

The Humanitarian Fund in Haiti is part of the Regional Humanitarian Pooled Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean, one of the UN's regional pooled funds. The Fund seeks to respond to the most urgent humanitarian needs, particularly serving the most vulnerable people in need of humanitarian assistance and those in hard-to-reach areas.

Find out more about this country-based pooled fund at the CBPF Data Hub

Resources

Haiti

Infographic

RHPF LAC: Haiti - Standard Allocation 1 (as of 16 April 2025)

The humanitarian situation in Haiti has deteriorated sharply since March 2024, with the intensification of coordinated attacks by armed groups in the Port-au-Prince Metropolitan Area and the...

Originally published
Source
  • UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
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Funding for OCHA Haiti

Total requirements (USD)
4.8M 2025
Opening balance (USD)
0 2025
Earmarked funding (USD)
339.9K 2025
Total (USD)
339.9K 2025

Earmarked contributions

Canada
$0.1 million
Sweden
$0.3 million

Unearmarked contributions

  • Australia
  • Belgium
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • Germany
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Luxembourg
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Singapore
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • United Kingdom

Unearmarked contributions (or commitments) are those for which the donor does not require the funds to be used for a specific project, sector, crisis or country, leaving OCHA to decide how to allocate the funds.

Opening balance may include unearmarked and earmarked funding with implementation dates beyond the calendar year, and excludes miscellaneous income (e.g. adjustments, gain/losses on exchange rate etc.)

Funding information from the OCHA Contributions Tracking System.