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Haiti's Independence Debt

122 years of payments to France — the price of recognition

1825–1947Payment period
197Annual records
112 M fr.Total (francs)

In 1825, Haiti agreed to pay France 150 million gold francs — later reduced to 90 million — as an "indemnity" for French slaveholders who lost their "property" when Haiti declared independence. Haiti paid until 1947. The NYT investigation estimated the total cost at over $21 billion in today's terms.

Cumulative Payments Over Time

Total francs paid to France, accumulated year by year

Annual Payments

Francs paid each year