Editing Haiti (section)

== Economy ==
[[File:Bas-Ravine.jpg|thumb|220px|left|Bas-Ravine, in the northern part of [[Cap-Haïtien]].]]
Haiti is the least developed country in the [[Americas]]. It is also one of the least developed and poorest countries in the world.

There are [[economic indicator|indicators]] that can be used to compare social and [[economy|economic]] situations between countries. Some indicators show that Haiti has fallen behind other poor [[developing country|developing countries]] since the 1980s. In 2006, Haiti ranked 146th of 177 countries in the United Nations [[Human Development Index]] (2006). About 90% of the Haitian people were living in poverty in 2003.<ref name="CIA">{{Cite web |title=CIA - The World Factbook -- Haiti |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html |access-date=2008-01-20 |archive-date=2016-01-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131115215/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Haiti is the only country in the Americas on the [[United Nations]] list of [[Least Developed Countries]] and it is the poorest country in the Americas. The economy was staying even or falling behind even before their big earthquake.

About 66% of all Haitians work in [[agriculture]]. Most of them do small-scale [[subsistence agriculture|subsistence farming]]<ref name = "Haiti in CIA World Factbook"/> (meaning that they are able to grow just enough to survive). This does not bring in much money.

Very few jobs were created in the last ten years. However, the [[informal economy]] is growing. [[Mango]]es and [[coffee]] are two of Haiti's most important [[export]]s.<ref name="Haiti in CIA World Factbook">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html |title=CIA - The World Factbook – Haiti |date=2008-03-20 |publisher=United States |accessdate=2007-12-20 |archive-date=2016-01-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131115215/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Haiti has consistently ranked among the most [[corruption|corrupt]] countries in the world on the [[Corruption Perceptions Index]].

About one third of the national government's budget is money given to them by other countries. The United States gives the most money. Canada gives the second largest amount of money. The [[European Union]], Venezuela and Cuba also give and help Haiti's economy in different ways. Haiti has renewed its [[alliance]]s with Venezuela and Cuba in 2006 and 2007.

From 2001 to 2004, the United States stopped giving aid to Haiti completely. The aid was cut off after Haiti's 2000 election. The election's results were questioned, and President [[Aristide]] was accused of cheating to win the election. Aristide was overthrown in 2004. After that, the United States started giving aid to Haiti again. The United Nations led a peacekeeping operation called the [[United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti]]. (The Mission is called called MINUSTAH in Haiti; this is an [[acronym]] for the Mission's name in French). The Brazilian army led the peacekeeping operation.

Even after President Aristide was overthrown, corruption continued to be very common in Haiti.<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|date=November 6, 2006|title=2006 Corruption Perceptions Index reinforces link between poverty and corruption|url=http://www.transparency.org/news_room/latest_news/press_releases/2006/en_2006_11_06_cpi_2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061107233642/http://www.transparency.org/news_room/latest_news/press_releases/2006/en_2006_11_06_cpi_2006|archive-date=November 7, 2006|accessdate=January 15, 2009|website=|publisher=Transparency International}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.redcross.int/EN/mag/magazine2006_2/10-11.html|title=Hoping for change in Haiti's Cité-Soleil|publisher=International Red Cross|accessdate=January 15, 2009|archive-date=September 30, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930224814/http://www.redcross.int/EN/mag/magazine2006_2/10-11.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Haiti has a large amount of foreign debt (money owed to other countries and international institutions to repay loans). The [[Heavily Indebted Poor Countries]] (HIPC) program planned to forgive about $525 million of Haiti's debt by mid-2009.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CIA World Fact Book |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html |access-date=2008-01-20 |archive-date=2016-01-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131115215/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>