Haiti is the country with the smallest army in the world, according to data by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
When considering active service members, Haiti only counts 150 troops, to which can be added some 50 members of the paramilitary.
Following Haiti’s independence from France in 1804, the Haitian military mounted dozens of coups, attempted coups and tried to interfere with the work of elected officials.
In December 1995, the then President of Haiti Jean-Bertrand Aristide suspended and disbanded the armed forces, leaving the national police in charge of the country’s security.
However, 22 years later, troops were remobilised by President Jovenel Moise. While he acknowledged the troubled history of the Haitian military, he vowed that the new army would be different.
Today, Haiti is in the grip of gang violence so widespread that Prime Minister Ariel Henry, invoked last year military assistance from the UN.
Mr Henry has been serving as his country’s leader since 2021, when President Moise was killed by a group of gunmen.
Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the Caribbean region and among the poorest in the world. In 2022, its GDP per capita was of £1371.68 ($1745.9).
Alongside its political instability, over the years the nation has also been tormented by natural disasters, mainly devastating hurricanes, floods and earthquakes.
In January 2010, a 7-magnitude quake struck near Port du Prince, killing an estimated 220,000 people and injuring more than 300,000.
Only 11 years later, another massive tremor, this time with magnitude 7.2, struck the Tiburon Peninsula and killed more than 2,200 people. In June 2023, another quake, this time of 5.5-magnitude, flattened once again homes and destroyed roads, while also causing dozens of casualties.
While Haiti is the nation with the smallest army in the world when considering active troops, Vatican City is the country with the smallest number of troops across the board.
The microstate in the heart of Rome, Italy, counts 135 reserve members and 0 active troops part of the Pontifical Swiss Guard – an armed force protecting the Pope and the Apostolic Palace.
While for years they were seen more as a ceremonial army, following the assassination attempt of Pope John Paul II in 1981 the Guard placed a much stronger emphasis on its defensive role.
