Seventy-five percent of Haiti's children under the age of five are underweight, or suffer from stunted growth and 63 percent of Haitians are undernourished.
Respiratory infections and diarrhoeal diseases cause at least half of the deaths of children under-five in Haiti. Approximately 60% the population does not have access to primary health care, more than half do not have access to medication, 76% of all births occur without medical attention, and only one child out of two is completely vaccinated.
In this poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, 80% of the population lives in abject poverty. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the agriculture sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, and remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters, exacerbated by the country's widespread deforestation.
The economy grew 1.5% in 2005, the highest growth rate since 1999. Haiti suffers from rampant inflation, a lack of investment, and a severe trade deficit.
Photo Credit: SCOTT TANNER - May 2006 - Photo taken during making of Lifeline promotional video, taken in LaDigue, Haiti
Statistics found at: CIAWorld Factbook & World Health Organization