Haiti in 2025: Economic Recovery Under High Tension
By Newsroom · Port-au-Prince
· 2 min read · Updated 24 April 2026
Translated from French — AI-assisted and reviewed by the editorial team. The French version is authoritative. Read the original · About our translation policy
The year 2025 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for the Haitian economy, which is emerging from a sixth consecutive year of contraction. After a 4.2% decline in GDP in 2024, Haitian authorities are banking on an ambitious investment program of 1.35 billion dollars as part of the “Rapid Assessment of the Impact of the Security Crisis in Haiti” (RCIA) program to try and stabilize and revive the economy. However, this strategy faces major challenges, particularly the persistence of insecurity that paralyzes many key sectors.
In 2024, final consumption fell by 4.4%, while inflation, although slightly down (27.9% compared to 31.8% in 2023), continues to exert pressure on the prices of food and essential goods.
The causes of this economic precariousness are numerous:
• Increased transport costs due to gang ransoming on road networks.
• A decline in imports (-16.2% in 2024), which reduces the availability of certain products on the local market.
• The collapse of the manufacturing sector, particularly textile industries, which saw their exports fall by 21.1% in 2024. Only the Haitian diaspora constitutes a real safety net for many families, with remittances reaching 4.11 billion dollars in 2024, a 9.5% increase compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, the country is preparing its National Carnival, a major cultural event that could generate significant economic activity, but it alone cannot revive a country plunged into a multidimensional crisis. Scheduled from March 2 to 4, 2025, in Fort-Liberté, the event will benefit from a budget of 536 million gourdes, or more than 4 million US dollars. While the state struggles to finance basic services (education, health, infrastructure), is investment
in the carnival a priority? Ultimately, Haiti is at a crossroads: either it embarks on a gradual recovery, or it sinks further into recession. The outcome will largely depend on political decisions, security improvements, and the country's capacity to attract new investments. So, will Haiti finally begin a recovery or will it sink further into recession?
• Increased transport costs due to gang ransoming on road networks.
• A decline in imports (-16.2% in 2024), which reduces the availability of certain products on the local market.
• The collapse of the manufacturing sector, particularly textile industries, which saw their exports fall by 21.1% in 2024. Only the Haitian diaspora constitutes a real safety net for many families, with remittances reaching 4.11 billion dollars in 2024, a 9.5% increase compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, the country is preparing its National Carnival, a major cultural event that could generate significant economic activity, but it alone cannot revive a country plunged into a multidimensional crisis. Scheduled from March 2 to 4, 2025, in Fort-Liberté, the event will benefit from a budget of 536 million gourdes, or more than 4 million US dollars. While the state struggles to finance basic services (education, health, infrastructure), is investment
in the carnival a priority? Ultimately, Haiti is at a crossroads: either it embarks on a gradual recovery, or it sinks further into recession. The outcome will largely depend on political decisions, security improvements, and the country's capacity to attract new investments. So, will Haiti finally begin a recovery or will it sink further into recession?
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