The island - “discovered” by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1494 - was settled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The Native Taino, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually exterminated and replaced by African slaves. England seized the island in 1655 and established a plantation economy based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter million slaves, many of whom became small farmers. Jamaica gradually increased its independence from Britain. In 1958, it joined other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federation of the West Indies. Jamaica withdrew from the Federation in 1961 and gained full independence in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence as rival gangs affiliated with the major political parties evolved into powerful organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering. Violent crime, drug trafficking, corruption, the COVID-19 pandemic, and poverty pose significant challenges to the government today. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy.
land: 10,831 sq km
water: 160 sq km
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
mean elevation: 18 m
arable land: 11.1% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 9.2% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 21.1% (2018 est.)
forest: 31.1% (2018 est.)
other: 27.5% (2018 est.)
2,820,982 (2023 est.)
noun: Jamaican(s)
adjective: Jamaican
Black 92.1%, mixed 6.1%, East Indian 0.8%, other 0.4%, unspecified 0.7% (2011 est.)
English, Jamaican patois
Protestant 64.8% (includes Seventh Day Adventist 12.0%, Pentecostal 11.0%, Other Church of God 9.2%, New Testament Church of God 7.2%, Baptist 6.7%, Church of God in Jamaica 4.8%, Church of God of Prophecy 4.5%, Anglican 2.8%, United Church 2.1%, Methodist 1.6%, Revived 1.4%, Brethren 0.9%, and Moravian 0.7%), Roman Catholic 2.2%, Jehovah’s Witness 1.9%, Rastafarian 1.1%, other 6.5%, none 21.3%, unspecified 2.3% (2011 est.)
0-14 years: 24.11% (male 346,566/female 333,673)
15-64 years: 65.8% (male 914,208/female 942,134)
65 years and over: 10.08% (2023 est.) (male 135,388/female 149,013)
total dependency ratio: 38
youth dependency ratio: 28
elderly dependency ratio: 13.4
potential support ratio: 7.4 (2021 est.)
total: 30.5 years (2023 est.)
male: 29.7 years
female: 31.3 years
0.09% (2023 est.)
15.8 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
7.4 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-7.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
population density is high throughout, but increases in and around Kingston, Montego Bay, and Port Esquivel
urban population: 57.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
597,000 KINGSTON (capital) (2023)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
21.2 years (2008 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29
99 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 10.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 12.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 9.6 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 76 years (2023 est.)
male: 74.3 years
female: 77.9 years
2.05 children born/woman (2023 est.)
1 (2023 est.)
NA
improved: urban: 98.3% of population
rural: 93.9% of population
total: 96.4% of population
unimproved: urban: 1.7% of population
rural: 6.1% of population
total: 3.6% of population (2020 est.)
6.6% of GDP (2020)
0.53 physicians/1,000 population (2018)
1.7 beds/1,000 population (2017)
improved: urban: 98.6% of population
rural: 99.4% of population
total: 98.9% of population
unimproved: urban: 1.4% of population
rural: 0.6% of population
total: 1.1% of population (2020 est.)
24.7% (2016)
total: 3.46 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 1.19 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.25 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 1.66 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.35 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total: 9.4% (2020 est.)
male: 15% (2020 est.)
female: 3.8% (2020 est.)
2.5% (2018/19)
32.7% (2023 est.)
6% of GDP (2021 est.)
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 88.7%
male: 84%
female: 93.1% (2015)
total: 12 years
male: 11 years
female: 13 years (2015)
heavy rates of deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston from vehicle emissions; land erosion
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
agricultural land: 41.4% (2018 est.)
arable land: 11.1% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 9.2% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 21.1% (2018 est.)
forest: 31.1% (2018 est.)
other: 27.5% (2018 est.)
urban population: 57.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
0.15% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 14.83 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 8.23 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 1.08 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 1,051,695 tons (2016 est.)
municipal: 140 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 1.1 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 110 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
10.82 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
upper middle-income Caribbean island economy; ongoing debt restructuring; hurricane-vulnerable economy; high crime, youth unemployment, and poverty; susceptible to commodity shocks from ongoing Russia invasion of Ukraine
$27.136 billion (2021 est.)
$25.943 billion (2020 est.)
$28.825 billion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
4.6% (2021 est.)
-10% (2020 est.)
0.89% (2019 est.)
$9,600 (2021 est.)
$9,200 (2020 est.)
$10,200 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
$15.847 billion (2019 est.)
5.86% (2021 est.)
5.23% (2020 est.)
3.91% (2019 est.)
Fitch rating: B+ (2019)
Moody’s rating: B2 (2019)
Standard & Poors rating: B+ (2019)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
agriculture: 7% (2017 est.)
industry: 21.1% (2017 est.)
services: 71.9% (2017 est.)comparison rankings:
household consumption: 81.9% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 13.7% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 21.3% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: 0.1% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 30.1% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -47.1% (2017 est.)
sugar cane, goat milk, yams, poultry, coconuts, oranges, bananas, gourds, plantains, grapefruit
agriculture, mining, manufacture, construction, financial and insurance services, tourism, telecommunications
2.38% (2021 est.)
1.418 million (2021 est.)
9.18% (2021 est.)
9.48% (2020 est.)
7.69% (2019 est.)
total: 26.1% (2021 est.)
male: 22.1%
female: 31.4%
17.1% (2016 est.)
35 (2016 est.)
lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 29.3% (2015)
revenues: $4.029 billion (2020 est.)
expenditures: $4.564 billion (2020 est.)
0.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
106.28% of GDP (2020 est.)
92.25% of GDP (2019 est.)
102.46% of GDP (2017 est.)
25.71% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
1 April - 31 March
$125.275 million (2021 est.)
-$61.433 million (2020 est.)
-$350.949 million (2019 est.)
$4.385 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$3.343 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$5.991 billion (2019 est.)
United States 46%, Netherlands 9%, Canada 6%, United Kingdom 4&, Russia 3% (2021)
aluminum oxide, refined petroleum, aluminum, rums, fruits, nuts, natural gas, sauces and seasonings (2021)
$7.414 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$5.911 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$8.317 billion (2019 est.)
United States 35%, China 13%, Turkey 5%, Trinidad and Tobago 3%, Japan 3% (2021)
refined petroleum, natural gas, cars, crude petroleum, iron bars, steel bars (2021)
$4.838 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
$3.938 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$3.631 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
$13.876 billion (2019 est.)
$13.912 billion (2018 est.)
Jamaican dollars (JMD) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
150.79 (2021 est.)
142.403 (2020 est.)
133.312 (2019 est.)
128.872 (2018 est.)
127.965 (2017 est.)
electrification - total population: 100% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 1.216 million kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 3,050,780,000 kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
imports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 1.149 billion kWh (2019 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 87.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 1.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 6.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 0.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 61,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 82,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 3,000 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 61,100 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 20,100 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)
24,250 bbl/day (2017 est.)
823 bbl/day (2015 est.)
30,580 bbl/day (2015 est.)
production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
consumption: 693.422 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 667.115 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
10.002 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 177,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 9.276 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 549,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
49.7 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 0 (2020)
6Y
28 (2021)
11
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
17
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
total: 22,121 km (2011) (includes 44 km of expressways)
paved: 16,148 km (2011)
unpaved: 5,973 km (2011)
total: 36 (2022)
by type: bulk carrier 1, general cargo 9, oil tanker 1, other 25
major seaport(s): Discovery Bay (Port Rhoades), Kingston, Montego Bay, Port Antonio, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Rocky Point
cruise port(s): Falmouth, Montego Bay, Port Antonio, Ocho Rios,
container port(s) (TEUs): Kingston (2,004,302) (2021)
manyapis