placestats

Last European coloniser: United Kingdom · Largest religious group: Christians. These are labels that describe the country, not numbers, so they are never compared with other measures. The numbers behind them, such as population shares, are.

Jamaica

Against upper middle income countries, Jamaica ranks 3rd of 51 on governance and 46th of 57 on education. Each ranking counts only the countries that report that score, so the totals differ and the two ranks can’t be compared directly. Both compare Jamaica with countries of similar wealth. That is the only kind of ranking that tells you something a ranking by income does not already show.

How it has changed

Every measure Jamaica reports, over all the years it has been published. Pick one. Hover or use the arrow keys to read a year. Gaps in a line are years with no data. They are left open, not filled in.

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Scores by area

Each score averages the measures in one area, such as health. Each measure is first put on a common scale and turned so that higher is always better. Zero is the average country in an average year. One point is a typical gap between countries (a standard deviation), so +1 means about one typical gap above average. These are summaries, not measurements. See how the country scores are built and how the topic scores compare with each other.

ScoreValueRank, all countriesRank, similar incomeMostly income?
Governance score 2025+1.0138 of 1793 of 51moderate +0.53
Health score 2024-0.49165 of 19345 of 58moderate +0.32
Education score 2023+0.45121 of 19946 of 57proxy +0.81
Equality score 2021+0.1193 of 16531 of 53high +0.64
Infrastructure score 2024+1.0692 of 21024 of 58proxy +0.90
Gender score 2024+1.0939 of 18610 of 57moderate +0.37
Environment score 2024-0.09107 of 21325 of 58moderate -0.33
Labour score 2025+0.5163 of 19511 of 56high +0.79

The last column shows how closely each score just tracks national income. The number is its link with GDP per person (the value of everything a country produces, divided by its people), from −1 to +1. A score marked proxy is mostly a measure of how rich the country is. Its rank among all countries says little that GDP per person does not. That is why the rank among similar-income countries sits beside it.

The measures behind them

Every measure reported for Jamaica, grouped by area. Some measures have no agreed better direction, such as population growth, inflation and military spending. They are listed here but left out of every score, since there is no fair way to say which way is better. Some names use technical terms: PPP means adjusted for what money buys in each country, HDI is a United Nations score combining life expectancy, schooling and income, and a Gini indexmeasures how unequally income is shared. Each measure’s own page explains it.

crime

Conflict deaths0per 100,000 people2025higher is worse
Armed conflict present01 if any conflict, else 02025higher is worse
Homicide rate49.4per 100,000 population2023higher is worse

culture

Religiously unaffiliated23.7%% of population2020no agreed direction
Christian share68.6%% of population2020no agreed direction
Muslim share0.016%% of population2020no agreed direction
Single-parent households16.2%% of households2011no agreed direction
One-person households28.2%% of households2011no agreed direction
Women in a union35.2%% of women aged 15-492022no agreed direction
Marriage rate (UN)6.13marriages per 1,000 people2018no agreed direction
Divorce rate (UN)1.25divorces per 1,000 people2018no agreed direction

demography

Median age31.7years2023no agreed direction
Age at childbearing27.9years2023no agreed direction
Population2,837,077people2025no agreed direction
Population growth-0.0739%% per year2025no agreed direction
Urbanization59.4%% of population2025no agreed direction
Population 65+8.58%% of population2025no agreed direction
Population 0-1418.3%% of population2025no agreed direction
Fertility rate1.35births per woman2024no agreed direction
Birth rate11.4per 1,000 people2024no agreed direction
Net migration-11,053people2025no agreed direction
Migrant share of population0.8%% of population2024no agreed direction

economy

Corporate tax rate25%% of profit2018no agreed direction
HDI0.72index, 0 to 12023higher is better
Inequality-adjusted HDI0.59index, 0 to 12023higher is better
GDP per capita (PPP)$11,358international $2025higher is better
GNI per capita (PPP)$10,157international $2021higher is better
GDP per capita (market)$6,106US$2025higher is better
GDP growth0.0816%% per year2025no agreed direction
Inflation4%% per year2025no agreed direction
FDI inflows1.39%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
Tax revenue23.7%% of GDP2020no agreed direction
Government expense27.5%% of GDP2020no agreed direction
Military spending1.27%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
Employment in agriculture13.9%% of employment2025no agreed direction

education

PISA maths377PISA points2022higher is better
PISA reading410PISA points2022higher is better
PISA science403PISA points2022higher is better
Primary completion99.4%% of children2025higher is better
Expected schooling12.4years2023higher is better
Mean years of schooling9.96years2023higher is better
Education spending5.51%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
Primary enrollment97.3%% gross2024higher is better
Secondary enrollment84.5%% gross2024higher is better
Tertiary enrollment26.2%% gross2015higher is better
Compulsory schooling6years2025no agreed direction
Out of school, primary4.34%% of primary-age children2024higher is worse
Pupil-teacher ratio24.8pupils per teacher2018higher is worse

environment

CO2 per capita2.84t CO2e per capita2024higher is worse
Forest area56.2%% of land area2023higher is better
Agricultural land38.5%% of land area2023no agreed direction
Protected land19.9%% of land area2025higher is better

gender

Gender Inequality Index0.358index, 0 to 12023higher is worse
Gender Development Index1.01ratio of women's HDI to men's2023no agreed direction
Women's political empowerment0.929index (0-1)2025higher is better
Women ministers33.3%% of ministers2024higher is better
Women in parliament30.2%% of seats2025higher is better
Women in management63.9%% of managers2014higher is better
Married by 1826.9%% of women aged 20-242022higher is worse

governance

Corruption Perceptions Index44index (0-100, higher = cleaner)2024higher is better
Political rights (FH)2rating (1-7, 1 = most free)2025higher is worse
Civil liberties (FH)2rating (1-7, 1 = most free)2025higher is worse
Pre-trial detainee share39.2%% of prisoners2023higher is worse
Refugees originating89.9per 100,000 people2024higher is worse
Electoral democracy0.805index (0-1)2025higher is better
Liberal democracy0.679index (0-1)2025higher is better
Participatory democracy0.524index (0-1)2025higher is better
Free and fair elections0.884index (0-1)2025higher is better
Regime type2regime category (0-3)2025higher is better
Political corruption0.207index (0-1)2025higher is worse
Freedom of expression0.919index (0-1)2025higher is better
Freedom of association0.879index (0-1)2025higher is better
Political civil liberties0.936index (0-1)2025higher is better
Civil society participation0.777index (0-1)2025higher is better
Birth registration98%% of children under 52017higher is better
Control of corruption-0.0963index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Rule of law-0.0777index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Government effectiveness0.171index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Regulatory quality0.0909index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Voice and accountability0.485index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Political stability0.477index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better

health

Life expectancy71.6years2024higher is better
Infant mortality16.4per 1,000 live births2024higher is worse
Under-5 mortality17.8per 1,000 live births2024higher is worse
Health spending7.6%% of GDP2023no agreed direction
Suicide rate1.69per 100,0002021higher is worse
Hospital beds1.65per 1,000 people2023no agreed direction
Basic water access87.6%% of population2024higher is better
Basic sanitation91.6%% of population2024higher is better
Child stunting6.9%% of children under 52024higher is worse
Adolescent fertility36.1births per 1,000 women aged 15-192024higher is worse
Maternal mortality130per 100,000 live births2023higher is worse
Skilled birth attendance99.7%% of births2018higher is better
Alcohol consumption3.1litres per adult per year2020no agreed direction
Tobacco use11.5%% of adults2024higher is worse
Road traffic deaths15.1per 100,000 population2019higher is worse
Physicians0.46per 1,000 people2023higher is better
DTP3 immunisation99%% of children aged 12-23 months2024higher is better
HIV prevalence1.1%% of adults aged 15-492024higher is worse
Tuberculosis incidence2.3per 100,000 people2024higher is worse
Premature NCD mortality20.2%% probability, ages 30-702021higher is worse
Anaemia in women21.5%% of women aged 15-492023higher is worse
Out-of-pocket health spending20.2%% of health spending2023higher is worse
Undernourishment7.7%% of population2023higher is worse
Food insecurity56.4%% of population2023higher is worse
Adult obesity35.2%% of adults2024higher is worse
Health coverage index74index, 0 to 1002023higher is better

inequality

Gini index39.9index (0-100)2021higher is worse
Extreme poverty rate1.4%% of population2021higher is worse

infrastructure

Internet users90.1%% of population2024higher is better
Mobile subscriptions118per 100 people2024higher is better
Electricity access97.7%% of population2024higher is better
Slum share of urban population0.883%% of urban population2022higher is worse
Fixed broadband16per 100 people2024higher is better

labor

Informal employment54.6%% of employment2023higher is worse
Unemployment3.29%% of labor force2025higher is worse
Female labor participation63%% of women 15+2025no agreed direction
Male labor participation76.3%% of men 15+2025no agreed direction
Youth not in work or study19.7%% of 15 to 24 year olds2023higher is worse
Vulnerable employment31.6%% of employment2025higher is worse

wellbeing

Life satisfaction6.3score (0-10)2025higher is better

Values are the most recent in 2010–2025, and different measures can come from different years. The year is shown beside each. Nothing here ranks countries by merit. An area score averages whatever measures its publishers happen to collect, and the choice of what to collect is itself a judgement made by someone else. All countries · How the country data works

Countries to compare with Jamaica

Also in Latin America & Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, The, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico (US), Sint Maarten (Dutch part), St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Martin (French part), St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uruguay, Venezuela, RB, Virgin Islands (U.S.).

Also upper middle income, in other regions: Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Cabo Verde, China, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Georgia, Indonesia, Iran, Islamic Rep., Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Fed. Sts., Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Philippines, Samoa, Serbia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, Turkiye, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, and more on the full list of countries.