In 2023, Haiti saw a significant increase in gang violence. Gangs killed an estimated 4,800 people, over twice the number of victims recorded in 2022. Many were killed by gunshots fired during violent clashes.

The continued border closures and displacement from the Dominican Republic to Haiti will aggravate existing needs in Haiti, which is already experiencing a complex humanitarian emergency with increasing gang violence, high food insecurity levels, and a cholera outbreak.

Multiple political, social, and economic crises, coupled with natural hazards (such as earthquakes, droughts, and torrential rains), have progressively increased the number of people needing food assistance since 2020. This thematic report provides an overview of the severity of the food crisis in Haiti.

This report highlights the humanitarian impact of the recent increase in gang violence in Haiti. Since our last publication, while several other drivers have deteriorated, such as the cholera outbreak or the high cost of living, gang violence has further increased, worsening the severity of the insecurity and displacement crises. 

Haiti is currently facing a deteriorating humanitarian situation. A combination of sociopolitical unrest and insecurity, fuel shortages, and a long-term declining economy has resulted in significant humanitarian needs for the population. 

This thematic report examines the impact of this crisis through the three profiles of the worst affected departments. It also analyses existing data on pre-crisis vulnerabilities and humanitarian access constraints at the departmental level.

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Haiti. Most affected departments include Sud, Grand’Anse, and Nippes, with Les Cayes, Aquin, Cavaillon, Petite-Rivière-de-Nippes, and Anse-a-Veau arrondissements known to be particularly affected and exposed to severe shaking.

An increase in gang violence and criminal activity in Haiti since 1 June 2021 has been affecting around one-third of the territory of Port-au-Prince. Southern neighbourhoods are the most affected.

Haiti’s humanitarian situation is complex: the origins of people’s needs are rooted in historical vulnerabilities, and are driven by economic and political instability as well as recurrent meteorological hazards’ impact. 2019 was characterised by socio-political instability in the form of widespread protests, fuelled by an economic downturn that started in 2018.

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Haiti on 6 October, and was followed by a magnitude 5.2 aftershock on 7 October and a magnitude 4.2 aftershock on 8 October. The departments affected by seismic activity were Artibonite, North and North-West.

Hurricane Irma made landfall on northeast Caribbean islands during the early hours local time of 6 September, affecting Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, St Barthélemy, St. Martin, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and other islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The hurricane is passing over Turks and Caicos, southern Bahamas, northern Dominican Republic and northern Haiti on 8 September.   

This thematic report is the second in a series of profiles on the worst affected departments in Haiti following Hurricane Matthew. It compiles and analyses existing pre-crisis data at the departmental level across a range of sectors and is intended to serve as a reference point for understanding the current humanitarian crisis.

This thematic report is the third in a series of profiles on the worst affected departments in Haiti following Hurricane Matthew. It compiles and analyses existing pre-crisis data at the departmental level across a range of sectors and is intended to serve as a reference point for understanding the current humanitarian crisis.

This thematic report is the first in a series of profiles on the worst affected departments in Haiti following Hurricane Matthew. It compiles and analyses existing pre-crisis data at the departmental level across a range of sectors and is intended to serve as a reference point for understanding the current humanitarian crisis.

Au moins 20% du territoire d’Haïti a été touché par l’ouragan Matthew. Un grand nombre de glissements de terrain et d’inondations ont été rapportés dans toutes les régions côtières, de même qu’à l’intérieur des départements touchés. Les départements les plus touchés sont: Sud, Grand’Anse et Nippes. Au total, 2 128 700 personnes, soit 12 % de la population d’Haïti, ont été touchées, dont 894 100 enfants.

Category 4 Hurricane Matthew struck the southwest coast of Haiti on 4 October. Wind speeds of 230km/h were recorded, and caused widespread damage, flooding, and displacement. It continued across the northwest of the country.  350,000 people require humanitarian assistance, and 14,530 have been displaced.