Haiti has a population of roughly 12 million, making it the most densely populated country in the Caribbean. Around 95% of Haitians are of African descent, with the remainder of mixed African and European heritage. The population is overwhelmingly young.
The official languages are Haitian Creole (Kreyòl ayisyen) and French. Creole is the mother tongue for virtually everyone; French is the language of government, law, and formal education. In practice, most Haitians speak Creole at home, in markets, and in everyday life. Learning a few phrases in Creole goes a long way.
Haitian society is deeply religious. The majority are Catholic, a significant minority are Protestant (particularly Pentecostal), and a large portion of the population — cutting across religious labels — practices Vodou. Vodou is not the Hollywood caricature. It is a West African-derived spiritual tradition with a rich liturgy, a complex pantheon of spirits (lwa), and ceremonies centered on drumming, dance, and possession. It has been systematically misrepresented and stigmatized, both abroad and within Haiti by some Christian denominations. It is also inseparable from Haitian history: Vodou played a direct role in the 1791 uprising at Bois Caïman that sparked the revolution.
Haitians are known for their resilience, creativity, and sharp humor in the face of extraordinary hardship. The country has survived colonialism, a punishing indemnity paid to France for a century after independence, US occupation (1915–1934), the Duvalier dictatorship, repeated natural disasters including the catastrophic 2010 earthquake, and the current gang crisis. The Haitian diaspora abroad sends billions of dollars home in remittances each year and maintains a powerful cultural presence in New York, Miami, Montreal, and Paris.