Languages spoken in Haiti
North America · Capital: Port-au-Prince · Population 11.8 million
In Haiti, two languages have official status: Haitian Creole and French. Haitian Creole is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 81% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 9.5 million people. The only other recorded language is French, at 42% of the population. Haitian Creole belongs to the Creole language family. Haitian Creole is not recorded in any of Haiti's one neighbour. In total, two languages are recorded in Haiti, and their shares add up to 123% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.2 of them.
What languages are spoken in Haiti?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haitian CreoleCreole | 81% | Official | 9.5 million |
| FrenchIndo-European | 42% | Official | 4.9 million |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Haiti?
In Haiti, two languages have official status: Haitian Creole and French. Haitian Creole is spoken by an estimated 81% of the population, or roughly 9.5 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Haitian Creole in Haiti?
An estimated 81% of Haiti's 11.8 million people speak Haitian Creole, which works out at roughly 9.5 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Haiti
- Capital
- Port-au-Prince
- Population
- 11.8 million
- Continent
- North America
- Area
- 27,750 km²
- Currency
- HTG
- Languages recorded
- 2
- Land borders
- 1
- ISO codes
- HT / HTI / 332
Which countries border Haiti?
Haiti shares a land border with one country: the Dominican Republic. None of them records Haitian Creole, the most widely spoken language in Haiti, so the land borders here are also language borders.
Explore more
Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.