Numbers do not lie. And the numbers describing Haiti's business environment tell a story that is difficult to hear but essential to understand.
Haiti ranks 179th out of 190 countries globally for ease of doing business. For entrepreneurial dynamism, it placed dead last — 141st out of 141 — in the Global Competitiveness Report 2019.
The Caribbean Comparison
Comparing Haiti to fourteen other Caribbean nations across three key metrics produces a clear picture of where Haiti stands and how far it must travel.
| Country | Procedures | Days | Cost (% income) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamaica | 2 | 3 | 4.2% |
| Colombia | 7 | 10 | 14.1% |
| St-Vincent | 7 | 10 | 13.9% |
| Sainte-Lucie | 5 | 11 | 17.0% |
| Dominique | 5 | 12 | 15.2% |
| Grenade | 6 | 12 | 14.4% |
| Nicaragua | 7 | 14 | 65.7% |
| Guatemala | 6 | 15 | 17.3% |
| Dominican Rep. | 7 | 17 | 13.7% |
| Guyane | 7 | 18 | 9.4% |
| Costa Rica | 10 | 23 | 9.6% |
| Belize | 9 | 48 | 34.3% |
| Suriname | 8 | 66 | 93.5% |
| Haiti | 12 | 97 | 179.7% |
| Venezuela | 20 | 230 | 211.8% |
Source: World Bank Doing Business Reports (2020)
What the Data Reveals
Several patterns emerge from the comparative analysis. First, there is a strong and consistent correlation between business environment quality and economic development. The ten countries with the most business-friendly environments in the world in 2020 — New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Denmark, South Korea, the United States, Georgia, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Sweden — are among the most prosperous. This is not coincidental.
Second, the relationship between entrepreneurship and development is bidirectional but threshold-dependent. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor found that in the poorest nations, entrepreneurship is driven by necessity rather than opportunity. People start businesses because they have no alternative, not because they see a market gap. Transforming necessity-driven entrepreneurship into opportunity-driven entrepreneurship requires improving the business environment.
Third, the cost barrier is as significant as the procedural barrier. Even if Haiti matched regional averages for procedures and timelines, a startup cost of 179.7 percent of per capita income would still exclude the vast majority of potential entrepreneurs.
Developed Country Benchmarks
| Country | Procedures | Days | HDI Rank | Doing Business Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 1 | 0.5 | 4th | 1st |
| Singapore | 2 | 1.5 | 9th | 2nd |
| Denmark | 3 | 3.5 | 10th | 4th |
| South Korea | 2 | 4 | 22nd | 5th |
| United States | 6 | 5.6 | 5th | 6th |
| Japan | 11 | 11.2 | 19th | 29th |
| Haiti | 12 | 97 | 163rd | 179th |
Source: World Bank Doing Business and UNDP Human Development Report
The convergence between HDI rank and Doing Business rank is not accidental. It reflects a fundamental truth: countries that create enabling environments for entrepreneurship generate the economic activity that funds human development.
Motivation to Create: A Different Profile
In developed countries like France, people start businesses for diverse reasons: independence, the desire to face new challenges, opportunities, increasing income, or pursuing expertise. In Haiti, necessity dominates. This distinction matters because necessity-driven entrepreneurship typically produces small, low-growth, informal businesses that do not generate significant employment or tax revenue.
| Reason for Starting a Business (France) | Percentage |
|---|---|
| To be independent | 60.7% |
| Desire to face new challenges | 38.7% |
| Increase personal income | 25.4% |
| Unemployed — chose to create | 23.1% |
| New product/service/market idea | 12.8% |
| Successful entrepreneurs in surroundings | 7.2% |
| Unemployed — forced to create | 5.0% |
Source: INSEE Survey (2006), Colloque IUFM Auvergne
Why the Numbers Matter
These comparisons are not meant to shame Haiti. They are meant to establish two critical points. First, Haiti's business environment is not merely suboptimal — it is among the most hostile in the world, and the gap between Haiti and even modest regional performers is enormous. Transformative reform, not incremental improvement, is required.
Second, the benchmarks for reform already exist. Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Costa Rica have demonstrated what is achievable within the Caribbean context. Rwanda reformed its business environment from near the bottom of global rankings to the top thirty. The models are available. The question is whether Haiti will adopt them.
Data without action is merely description. But data with a commitment to reform becomes a roadmap. Haiti's numbers tell us exactly where the barriers are, how large they are, and what targets to set. The only question remaining is political will.
This article is adapted from the Master's thesis 'Analyse des barrieres a la creation d'entreprise en Haiti: accent mis sur les villes de province' by Dieulin Napoleon, presented at ISTEAH, June 2020. Research directed by Professor Samuel Pierre, Ph.D.
References
World Bank Doing Business Reports (2011-2020). | Global Competitiveness Report (2019). World Economic Forum. | Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (2011). Executive Report. | UNDP (2024). Human Development Report. | INSEE (2006). Enquete sur la creation d'entreprise en France.