Natural disasters are the direct consequence of the increase Haiti’s dependence on remittances from the diaspora and this is since 1991 according to data shared by a leading Haitian economist.
From 1991 to 1994, transfers increased from -$50 million to $100 million. From 1994 to 1998, they increased to $327 million. In 2011 after the earthquake, the amount of remittances reached $1.5 billion. In 2012, it reached $2.29 billion, about 46 times more than in 1991.
Figures from the central bank on remittances received by Haitians from October 2019 to June 2020 show that the total amount of remittances received during this period is $2.6 billion. The total number of remittances sent is 17 million with an average remittance amount received per person of $158.
The countries that sent the most money to Haiti during the above-mentioned period were: the United States, which sent 76% of the transfers; Chile, 5%and Canada, 3.4% as the top 3.
Remittances also go in the other direction, with Haitians also sending money to their families living outside of Haiti. Countries benefiting from Haitian remittances are the United States of America (47.3%), the Dominican Republic (27.3%) and surprisingly the Asian continent (5%) in third place.
