The Republic of Haiti shipped US$1.3 billion worth of exported products around the globe in 2022.

That projected dollar amount reflects a 2.7% upturn from $1.25 billion five years earlier in 2018.

Year over year, the value of Haiti’s exports slowed by -7.4% compared to $1.39 billion during 2021.

Based on the average exchange rate for 2022 on a Purchasing Power Parity basis, the Haitian gourde diluted by -69.97% against the US dollar since 2018 and depreciated by -29.6% from 2021 to 2022. Haiti’s weaker local currency compared makes Haitian exports paid for in stronger US dollars relatively less expensive for international buyers.

Haiti’s Major Trading Partners

Haiti occupies the western three-eighths of Hispaniola located on the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea, sharing the remaining area of the island with the Dominican Republic.

The latest available country-specific data from 2017 shows that 92% of products exported from Haiti was bought by importers in: United States of America (56.4% of the Haitian total), France (12.5%), Canada (4.4%), Thailand (4.2%), Spain (2.8%), Taiwan (2.3%), United Kingdom (2.2%), Dominican Republic (2.1%), Vietnam (1.6%), mainland China (1.4%), Belgium (1.07%) and Jamaica (1%).

From a continental perspective, 61% of Haiti’s exports by value was delivered to North American countries while 20% was sold to importers in Europe. Haiti shipped another 12.6% worth of goods to buyers in Asia.

Tinier percentages went to Latin America (5%) plus the Caribbean led by Dominican Republic but excluding Mexico, Africa (1.4%), then Oceania’s Australia and New Zealand (0.1%).

Given Haiti’s population of 12.1 million people, its total $1.3 billion worth exports in 2022 translates to roughly $110 for every resident in the West Indian country. That dollar metric lags the average $120 per capita one year earlier during 2021.

Haiti’s Top 10 Exports

The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Haitian global shipments during 2022. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Haiti.

1. Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: US$932.8 million (72.6% of total exports)
2. Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $165.1 million (12.8%)
3. Perfumes, cosmetics: $32.1 million (2.5%)
4. Iron, steel: $21.7 million (1.7%)
5. Headgear: $15.7 million (1.2%)
6. Miscellaneous textiles, worn clothing: $14.5 million (1.1%)
7. Fish: $13.7 million (1.1%)
8. Fruits, nuts: $12 million (0.9%)
9. Furniture, bedding, lighting, signs, prefabricated buildings: $9 million (0.7%)
10. Beverages, spirits, vinegar: $8.5 million (0.7%)

Haiti’s top 10 export categories generated 95.3% of the overall value of its global shipments.

Furniture, bedding, lighting, signs and prefabricated buildings was the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 17.4% from 2021 to 2022.

In second place for improving export sales were exports of the metals iron and steel via a 9.8% advance.

Haiti’s shipments of beverages, spirits and vinegar posted the third-best gain in value, up by 5.6%.

The severest decliner among Haiti’s top 10 export categories was fish exported from Haiti, pulled down by a -55.9% year-over-year drop.

At the more granular four-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, knitted or crocheted t-shirts and vests represent Haiti’s most valuable exported product at 41.1% of the country’s total export sales. In second place were knitted or crocheted jerseys and pullovers (17.2%) trailed by knitted or crocheted women’s clothing (8.4%), unknitted and non-crocheted men’s suits and trousers (5.2%), unknitted and non-crocheted men’s shirts (3.4%), essential oils (2.5%), unknitted and non-crocheted tracksuits and swimwear (2.2%), unknitted and non-crocheted women’s clothing (1.7%), iron or steel scrap (also 1.7%), then knitted or crocheted women’s underwear and pajamas (1.6%).

Collectively, that cohort of 10 major commodities represents 84.9% of the overall value of Haitian exported goods during 2022. That percentage suggests a highly concentrated portfolio of exported goods specific to the clothing industry.

Products Generating Haiti’s Largest Trade Surpluses

The following types of Haitian product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.

In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.

1. Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: US$793.3 million (Up by 2% since 2021)
2. Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $151.9 million (Down by -1.5%)
3. Headgear: $13.7 million (Down by -17.5%)
4. Fruits, nuts: $10.8 million (Down by -39.8%)
5. Copper: $5.7 million (Up by 46.4%)
6. Feathers, artificial flowers, hair: $3.3 million (Down by -14.6%)
7. Cocoa: $2.8 million (Up by 5.9%)
8. Collector items, art, antiques: $904,000 (Up by 95.7%)
9. Raw hides, skins not furskins, leather: $681,000 (Up by 82.1%)
10. Live trees, plants, cut flowers: $211,000 (Up by 113.1%)

Haiti has highly positive net exports in the international trade of clothing and related accessories. In turn, these cashflows indicate Haiti’s strong competitive advantages under the clothing and accessories product categories.

Products Generating Haiti’s Worst Trade Deficits

Overall Haiti incurred an estimated -US$2.8 billion trade deficit for 2022, shrinking by -13.4% from -$3.2 billion in red ink one year earlier in 2021.

Below are exports from Haiti that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Haiti’s goods trail Haitian importer spending on foreign products.

1. Mineral fuels including oil: -US$510.3 million (Up by 85.4% since 2021)
2. Cereals: -$343.9 million (Up by 4.8%)
3. Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: -$209.8 million (Up by 11%)
4. Plastics, plastic articles: -$202.8 million (Down by -15%)
5. Cotton: -$183.1 million (Up by 4.1%)
6. Electrical machinery, equipment: -$178.7 million (Down by -8.7%)
7. Iron, steel: -$149.9 million (Down by -14.5%)
8. Knit or crochet fabric: -$138.4 million (Down by -38.7%)
9. Vehicles: -$138 million (Down by -38.3%)
10. Meat: -$126 million (Down by -16.7%)

Haiti has to endure highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits for refined petroleum oils and, to a lesser extent, petroleum gases under the mineral fuels-related product category.

Haitian Export Companies

Not one Haitian corporation ranks among Forbes Global 2000.

Wikipedia lists some exports-related companies from Haiti. Selected examples are shown below.

• Brasserie de la Couronne (soft drinks)
• Brasserie Nationale d’Haïti (brewery)
• Comme Il Faut (tobacco)
• Handxom (electronics)
• Rhum Barbancourt (alcoholic beverages)
• Sûrtab (computer hardware including tablets)
• Unibank (commercial bank)

 
In macroeconomic terms, Haiti’s total exported goods represent 3.4% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2022 ($38.1 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 3.4% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2022 compares to 3.8% for 2021. Those percentages suggest a relatively decreasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Haiti’s total economic performance, albeit based on a short timeframe.

Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. Haiti’s unemployment rate averaged 14.8% for 2022, down from an average 15% in 2021 according to Trading Economics.

Haiti’s capital city is Port-au-Prince.

See also Aruba’s Top 10 Exports, Mexico’s Top Trading Partners, Jamaica’s Top 10 Exports and Dominican Republic’s Top 10 Exports

Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Central America and Caribbean: Haiti. Accessed on July 4, 2023

FlagPictures.org, Flag of Haiti. Accessed on July 4, 2023

Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on July 4, 2023

International Monetary Fund, Exchange Rates selected indicators (National Currency per U.S. dollar, period average). Accessed on July 4, 2023

International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on July 4, 2023

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 4, 2023

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on July 4, 2023

Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on July 4, 2023

Wikipedia, Jordan. Accessed on July 4, 2023

Wikipedia, List of Companies of Haiti. Accessed on July 4, 2023

Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on July 4, 2023

World’s Capital Cities, Capital Facts for Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Accessed on July 4, 2023