Gender ratio of slaves in St Domingue (Haiti) by ethnic origin 1721-1797

From examining plantation records from St Domingue (present-day Haiti), between the years 1721 and 1797, it was found that there were 133 males for every 100 females, based on numerous sources that give details of more than 13.3 thousand slaves. Such records were rare in the Caribbean, particularly before the 18^th century; as this data comes from plantation records, and not from shipping records, it gives a more accurate depiction of the slave gender ratios in the New World, where male slaves had a higher mortality rate during seasoning (i.e. the period of adjustment to the new climate).

By investigating the regional breakdowns, historians have been able to identify a number of trends relating to the capture of slaves in Africa and the survival rates in the New World. For example, ethnic groups located further inland in Africa, such as the Hausa* and Nupe peoples of present-day northern-Nigeria, had a very high gender ratio, as the slaves were more likely to have been captured in battle or in a raid. In contrast, there was a higher rate of female slaves from the Ewe-Fon societies of the so-called Slave Coast, as their location and long-established connection with the slave trade meant that the number of potential male slaves had already been depleted by the late 18^th century, and the older male slaves were less likely to survive seasoning.