The Haiti Independence Debt involves an 1825 agreement between Haiti and France that included France demanding an indemnity of 150 million francs to be paid by Haiti in claims over property – including Haitian slaves – that was lost through the Haitian Revolution in return for diplomatic recognition, with the debt removing the equivalent of US$21 billion in 2020 terms from the Haitian economy. For comparison, Haiti's nominal GDP in 2020 stood at 14.508 billion USD. The first annual payment alone was six times Haiti's annual revenue. The payment was later reduced to 90 million francs in 1838, equivalent to $34,000,000,000 in 2023, with Haiti paying about 112 million francs in total. Over the 122 years between 1825 and 1947, the debt severely hampered Haitian economic development as payments of capital and interest totaled a significant share of Haitian GDP, constraining the use of domestic financial funds for infrastructure and public services. At the time 150 million Francs would amount to a gold content of 43,505 kilograms (95,912 lb) as per the rules of coinage.
Restoration France's demand of payments in exchange for recognizing Haiti's independence was delivered...