PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The Haitian government’s decision to raise prices for gasoline, diesel, and kerosene has deepened the hardship for working families, forcing individuals like 35-year-old factory worker Alexandre Joseph to walk two hours to work and two hours home daily because he can no longer afford public transportation. Joseph states he is now unable to feed his two children on his current salary.
On April 2, same month, Haiti’s government announced a 37% increase in the cost of diesel and a 29% increase in the cost of gasoline. This state-imposed price hike comes as Haiti, described as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, faces a spiraling humanitarian crisis.
The rising oil prices are linked to the conflict in Iran, which has pushed up transportation costs and disrupted critical supply chains in Haiti. This global market pressure, combined with domestic policy, has doubled transportation costs for many.
Alexandre Joseph, a factory worker in Port-au-Prince, plans to sell soft drinks at night from his home to try to earn more money. He also stated his family would reduce their normal food intake.
Who Pays
Street vendor Fedline Jean-Pierre, 35, a mother of a 7-year-old boy, is considering raising the prices of carrots, tomatoes, and other produce she sells at an outdoor market. Jean-Pierre noted that people are not buying now because they lack money, but she feels she has no choice but to increase prices to survive and feed her child. She and her son have lived for two years in a cramped and unsanitary shelter among the record 1.4 million Haitians displaced by gang violence in recent years. Jean-Pierre stated, “The government doesn’t do anything for me,” and, “Gas is up now, meaning everything will go up.”
Another street vendor, Maxime Poulard, who resells charcoal, anticipates he will soon only be able to afford to buy half a bag to resell, down from occasionally selling two bags a day. Poulard remarked, “Traveling is expensive; eating is expensive; everything is expensive,” adding, “I’m not sure if I will be able to hold on much more.”
Marc Jean-Louis, a 29-year-old tap-tap driver, reported that passengers are increasingly bartering fares, but he cannot afford to offer discounts. Jean-Louis stated, “All the money is going toward gas,” and called on the government to reduce prices.
According to the World Bank, nearly 40% of Haitians are surviving on less than $2.15 a day. Haiti’s economy contracted for the seventh consecutive year, with inflation reaching 32% at the end of fiscal year 2025.
Humanitarian organizations describe the situation as dire. Erwan Rumen, deputy country director for the United Nations World Food Program in Haiti, stated, “The consequences are huge,” and described Haiti as “one of the most fragile countries in the world.” He noted that almost half of Haiti’s nearly 12 million inhabitants already face high levels of acute food insecurity, with about 200,000 people dropping from the emergency phase to the acute one in recent months. Rumen warned that “so many efforts could be basically wiped out by things that are completely out of our control,” and that the population is “extremely fragile. They’re on the verge of collapsing completely.”
Allen Joseph, program manager for Mercy Corps in Haiti, stated that rising oil prices are crushing the country’s fragile economy. He warned that families already spending most of their income on food will face impossible tradeoffs, and that the increase will affect access to basic services, including potable water. Joseph concluded, “This is not an abstract inflation. It will directly impact survival.”
The State's Role and Resistance
Gang violence has exacerbated hunger, with armed groups controlling key roads and disrupting the transportation of goods. An estimated 90% of Port-au-Prince is controlled by gangs. Emmline Toussaint, main coordinator of Mary’s Meals’ BND school-feeding program, reported that gas stations in some regions are selling fuel 25% to 30% higher than even what the government stipulated due to gang violence and difficulties with trucks accessing certain areas. Her U.S.-based nonprofit is forced to use boats and take longer, multiple roads to feed the 196,000 children they serve across Haiti to avoid armed groups. Toussaint stated, “The humanitarian crisis that we’re facing right now is at its worst.”
In response to the fuel-price increase, Haitians dragged burning tires and other debris to block streets and protest in Port-au-Prince on April 6, same week. Local media reported gunfire as some Haitians forced the drivers of small colorful buses, known as tap-taps, to disembark their passengers.