Jamaica
Country in Americas
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 2.8M (2025). World rank 140 of 216; in Americas, 24 of 46. Area: 10,991 km². World rank 166 of 249; in Americas, 30 of 56. Life expectancy: 71.6 years (2024). World rank 141 of 216 (1 = best); in Americas, 40 of 46. From 2015 to 2025: GDP $15B → $22.7B and GDP per person $5,339 → $8,003.
State
- Official name
- Jamaica
- Local name
- Jamaica
- Capital
- Kingston
- Region
- Americas
- Form of government
- Parliamentary constitutional monarchy
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Charles III
- Head of government
- Andrew Holness
- Independence
- August 6, 1962
- Women in parliament
- 30.2% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 2,837,077 2025
- Area
- 10,991 km²
- GDP
- $22.7B 2025
- GDP per person
- $8,003 2025
- Life expectancy
- 71.6 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- English, Jamaican Patois
- Currency
- Jamaican Dollar (JMD)
- Time zones
- UTC−5
- Calling code
- +1876
- Emergency numbers
- 110, 112, 119, 911
- Driving side
- Left
- Plug types
- A, B
- Mains voltage
- 116 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 1,022
- Neighbours
- None
- Agricultural land
- 39% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Blue Mountain Peak, 2,256 m
- Lowest point
- Caribbean Sea, 0 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 18
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 27
- Warmest month in the capital
- August, 28°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- January, 26°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 2,051 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 258.1 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- -0.1% 2025
- Living in cities
- 59.4% 2025
- Net migration per year
- -11.1K 2025
- Born in another country
- 0.8% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 18.3% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 73.1% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 8.6% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 74.2 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 69.1 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 1.4 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 11.5 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 8.2 2024
Society
- Religions
- Protestant 64.8%, no religion 21.3%, other 7.6%, Catholic 2.2%, and other Christian 1.9% (2011)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 58.1 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 46.2 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 56.2 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 55.8 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 68.6 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $13,291 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +0.1% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Upper-middle income
- Gross national income per person
- $7,790 2025
- Inflation
- +4% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 60 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 8.7% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 16.3% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 59.8% 2025
- Unemployment
- 3.3% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 10.8% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 63% 2025
Trade and finance
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- +1.5% 2025
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +1.3% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 16.3% 2025
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 23.7% 2020
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 39.9 2021
- Living on under $3 a day
- 1.4% 2021
Education
- Adult literacy
- 79.9% 1999
- Primary school enrolment
- 97.3% 2024
- Secondary school enrolment
- 84.5% 2024
- Higher education enrolment
- 26.2% 2015
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 5.5% 2024
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 7.6% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $520 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 20.3% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 0.5 2023
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 1.6 2023
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 1.7 2023
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 94% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 16.4 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 17.8 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 130 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 1.1% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 12.5% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 61.1% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 11.5% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 87.6% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 91.6% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 93% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 49.4 2023
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 15.1 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 1.7 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 75.1 2025
- Natural hazards
- tropical cyclones
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 21.7 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 2.8 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 3.3 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 56.6% 2024
- Protected areas
- 1.6% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 3,812 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 12.4% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 90.1% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 118 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 16 2024
- Internet domain
- .jm
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 97.7% 2024
- Electricity use, kWh per person
- 1,202 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 10.5% 2021
- Electricity from renewables
- 12.8% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 89.3% 2024
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 180,951 2018
- Airports
- 20 2025
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0.1% 2002
- Scientific articles per year
- 161 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 3 2024
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 2.7% 2023