Not Classified
World’s Population
Population
HRF does not classify Haiti.
Since 2024, a variety of organized crime groups have wielded de facto control over parts of the Haitian territory. The state is largely absent, and the country’s government institutions have collapsed. Due to the absence of a single, identifiable governing authority, as well as the collapse of all institutions, HRF considers the situation in Haiti to be unclassifiable at this time.
In April 2024, acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry was forced to resign during a trip abroad after criminal groups took over the Toussaint Louverture International Airport, preventing Henry’s return to the country. A Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) was set up immediately following Henry’s resignation with a mandate to exercise executive duties until February 7, 2026, and to oversee the election of a new head of state. However, the TPC has failed to exercise de facto authority in Haiti and has been unable to govern the country. The UN estimated that more than 2.7 million people in Haiti were living under the control of criminal groups in 2025. Gang violence resulted in the deaths of at least 5,600 people in 2024—the Haitian population has also been subject to widespread forced recruitment, abuse, torture, and malnutrition. It is estimated that 85% of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, is under gang control. National elections have not been held in Haiti since 2016.
In 2023, the United Nations (UN) Security Council initially approved the deployment of a multinational Gang Suppression Force (MSS) led by Kenya, which first arrived in Haiti in June 2024. The MSS’s mission was expanded in 2025. However, joint operations between the Haitian police and MSS forces have failed to achieve durable territorial gains and challenge the dominance of the criminal armed groups. Since 2022, it has been estimated that approximately 200 gangs are actively operating in Haiti; the relationship between these gangs has regularly oscillated between rivalry over territories and tactical alliances. The criminal coalition Viv Ansanm emerged as one of the most prominent groups after it provoked the final collapse of the Haitian government in April 2024. Since then, signs have emerged of durable cooperation and alignment between the criminal armed groups that compose Viv Ansanm. However, Viv Ansanm has not consolidated itself into a new governing authority, and territorial control remains relatively decentralized.
HRF does not classify Haiti.
Since 2024, a variety of organized crime groups have wielded de facto control over parts of the Haitian territory. The state is largely absent, and the country’s government institutions have collapsed. Due to the absence of a single, identifiable governing authority, as well as the collapse of all institutions, HRF considers the situation in Haiti to be unclassifiable at this time.
In April 2024, acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry was forced to resign during a trip abroad after criminal groups took over the Toussaint Louverture International Airport, preventing Henry’s return to the country. A Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) was set up immediately following Henry’s resignation with a mandate to exercise executive duties until February 7, 2026, and to oversee the election of a new head of state. However, the TPC has failed to exercise de facto authority in Haiti and has been unable to govern the country. The UN estimated that more than 2.7 million people in Haiti were living under the control of criminal groups in 2025. Gang violence resulted in the deaths of at least 5,600 people in 2024—the Haitian population has also been subject to widespread forced recruitment, abuse, torture, and malnutrition. It is estimated that 85% of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, is under gang control. National elections have not been held in Haiti since 2016.
In 2023, the United Nations (UN) Security Council initially approved the deployment of a multinational Gang Suppression Force (MSS) led by Kenya, which first arrived in Haiti in June 2024. The MSS’s mission was expanded in 2025. However, joint operations between the Haitian police and MSS forces have failed to achieve durable territorial gains and challenge the dominance of the criminal armed groups. Since 2022, it has been estimated that approximately 200 gangs are actively operating in Haiti; the relationship between these gangs has regularly oscillated between rivalry over territories and tactical alliances. The criminal coalition Viv Ansanm emerged as one of the most prominent groups after it provoked the final collapse of the Haitian government in April 2024. Since then, signs have emerged of durable cooperation and alignment between the criminal armed groups that compose Viv Ansanm. However, Viv Ansanm has not consolidated itself into a new governing authority, and territorial control remains relatively decentralized.
