Jamaica

Europeans first saw Jamaica when Christopher COLUMBUS arrived in 1494, and the Spanish settled the island early in the 16th century. The Native Taino, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually exterminated and replaced with 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 recurring 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, and poverty pose significant challenges to the government today. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy.

18 15 N, 77 30 W

hurricanes (especially July to November)

about half the size of New Jersey; slightly smaller than Connecticut

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

1,022 km

Total: 0 km

Agricultural land: 38.5% (2023 est.)

Arable land: 11.1% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops: 6.3% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture: 21.1% (2023 est.)

Forest: 56.2% (2023 est.)

Other: 5.3% (2023 est.)

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Contiguous zone: 24 nm

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin

Note: Measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines

bauxite, alumina, gypsum, limestone

third largest island in the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola); strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal

mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

Central America and the Caribbean

250 sq km (2012)

10.823 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

population density is high throughout, but increases in and around Kingston, Montego Bay, and Port Esquivel

Highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m

Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Mean elevation: 18 m

Total : 10,991 sq km

Land: 10,831 sq km

Water: 160 sq km

0-14 years: 23.8% (male 342,691/female 329,773)

15-64 years: 65.7% (male 914,364/female 941,816)

65 years and over: 10.4% (2024 est.) (male 140,440/female 154,629)

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 (2024 est.)

Female: 90.8% (2022 est.)

Noun: Jamaican(s)

Adjective: Jamaican

Urban population: 57.4% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization: 0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Improved:

Urban: 95.4% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 85.4% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 91.1% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved:

Urban: 4.6% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 14.6% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 8.9% of population (2022 est.)

597,000 KINGSTON (capital) (2023)

0.46 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

1.7 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

21.2 years (2008 est.)

Note: Data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29

Total dependency ratio: 52.1 (2024 est.)

Youth dependency ratio: 36.2 (2024 est.)

Elderly dependency ratio: 15.9 (2024 est.)

Potential support ratio: 6.3 (2024 est.)

Improved:

Urban: 98.6% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 99.4% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 98.9% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved:

Urban: 1.4% of population (2022 est.)

Rural: 0.6% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 1.1% of population (2022 est.)

Black 92.1%, mixed 6.1%, East Indian 0.8%, other 0.4%, unspecified 0.7% (2011 est.)

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.)

English, Jamaican patois

7.2% of GDP (2021)

19% of national budget (2022 est.)

Total: 13 years (2015 est.)

Male: 12 years (2015 est.)

Female: 14 years (2015 est.)

1 (2024 est.)

35.2% (2022 est.)

Total: 14.5% (2024 est.)

Male: 12.9% (2024 est.)

Female: 16.4% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

-7.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Total: 30.9 years (2024 est.)

Male: 30.1 years

Female: 31.7 years

130 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

2.05 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Total: 2,823,713 (2024 est.)

Male: 1,397,495

Female: 1,426,218

Total: 10.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

Male: 11.9 deaths/1,000 live births

Female: 9.4 deaths/1,000 live births

Total: 9% (2025 est.)

Male: 15.1% (2025 est.)

Female: 3.1% (2025 est.)

24.7% (2016)

7.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

15.6 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

2.5% (2018 est.)

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 population: 76.3 years (2024 est.)

Male: 74.5 years

Female: 78.1 years

5.5% of GDP (2024 est.)

17.9% national budget (2024 est.)

0.1% (2024 est.)

Municipal: 339.867 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Industrial: 43.989 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Agricultural: 78.972 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Municipal solid waste generated annually: 1.052 million tons (2024 est.)

Percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 15% (2022 est.)

14.8 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

7.89 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

From coal and metallurgical coke: 239,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

From petroleum and other liquids: 6.04 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

From consumed natural gas: 1.611 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

42.095 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Scott RENNER (since 13 August 2025)

Embassy: 142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6

Mailing address: 3210 Kingston Place, Washington DC  20521-3210

Telephone: (876) 702-6000

FAX: (876) 702-6348

Email address and website:
KingstonACS@state.gov

https://jm.usembassy.gov/

14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland

Note: For local government purposes, Kingston and Saint Andrew were amalgamated in 1923 into the present single corporate body known as the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation

Name: Kingston

Geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 76 48 W

Time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Etymology: The name is a blend of the words "king's" and "town;" named after the English king at the time of the city's founding in 1692, WILLIAM III 

History: Several previous (pre-independence); latest drafted 1961-62, submitted to British Parliament 24 July 1962, entered into force 6 August 1962 (at independence)

Amendment process: Proposed by Parliament; passage of amendments to "non-entrenched" constitutional sections, such as lowering the voting age, requires majority vote by the Parliament membership; passage of amendments to "entrenched" sections, such as fundamental rights and freedoms, requires two-thirds majority vote of Parliament; passage of amendments to "specially entrenched" sections such as the dissolution of Parliament or the executive authority of the monarch requires two-thirds approval by Parliament and approval in a referendum 

Chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Sir Patrick L. ALLEN (since 26 February 2009)

Head of government: Prime Minister Andrew HOLNESS (since 3 March 2016)

Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

Election/appointment process: The monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the governor general appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the House of Representatives as prime minister

Description: Diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles, two green (top and bottom) and two black (left and right)

Meaning: Green stands for hope, vegetation, and agriculture; black for hardships overcome and to be faced; and yellow for sunshine and natural resources

6 August 1962 (from the UK)

Highest court(s): Court of Appeal (consists of president of the court and a minimum of 4 judges); Supreme Court (40 judges organized in specialized divisions)

Judge selection and term of office: Chief justice of the Supreme Court and president of the Court of Appeal appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the prime minister; other judges of both courts appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission; judges of both courts serve till age 70

Subordinate courts: Resident magistrate courts, district courts, and petty sessions courts

Note: Appeals beyond Jamaica's highest courts are referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) rather than to the Caribbean Court of Justice (the appellate court for member states of the Caribbean Community)

common law system based on the English model

Legislature name: Parliament

Legislative structure: Bicameral

ACP, ACS, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Independence Day, 6 August (1962)

Jamaica Labor Party or JLP
Jamaica Progressive Party or JPP
People's National Party or PNP
United Independents' Congress or UIC

18 years of age; universal

parliamentary democracy (Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Conventional long form: None

Conventional short form: Jamaica

Etymology: From the Arawak word xaymaca, meaning "Land of Wood and Water" or possibly "Land of Springs"

Chief of mission: Ambassador Antony B. ANDERSON (since 24 July 2025)

Chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

Telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660

FAX: [1] (202) 452-0036

Email address and website:
Contactus@jamaicaembassy.org

Jamaican Embassy (embassyofjamaica.org)

Consulate(s) general: Miami, New York

Title: "Jamaica, Land We Love"

Lyrics/music: Hugh Braham SHERLOCK/Robert Charles LIGHTBOURNE

History: Adopted 1962

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

green-and-black streamertail (bird), guaiacwood (Guiacum officinale)

Citizenship by birth: Yes

Citizenship by descent only: Yes

Dual citizenship recognized: Yes

Residency requirement for naturalization: 4 out of the previous 5 years

Total World Heritage Sites: 2 ( 1mixed,1 cultural)

Selected World Heritage Site locales: Blue and John Crow Mountains (m); The Archaeological Ensemble of 17th Century Port Royal (c)

green, yellow, black

16.7% (2021 est.)

Note: % of population with income below national poverty line

Lowest 10%: 2.2% (2021 est.)

Highest 10%: 29.6% (2021 est.)

Note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

aluminum oxide, refined petroleum, natural gas, liquor, processed fruits and nuts (2023)

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

USA 37%, Russia 7%, Latvia 7%, Iceland 7%, UK 5% (2023)

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

sugarcane, goat milk, yams, chicken, oranges, coconuts, bananas, plantains, pumpkins/squash, pineapples (2023)

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Revenues: $4.041 billion (2020 est.)

Expenditures: $4.466 billion (2020 est.)

note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

refined petroleum, natural gas, cars, crude petroleum, plastic products (2023)

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Jamaican dollars (JMD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates:
156.44 (2024 est.)
154.159 (2023 est.)
153.427 (2022 est.)
150.79 (2021 est.)
142.403 (2020 est.)

agriculture, mining, manufacture, construction, financial and insurance services, tourism, telecommunications

$19.93 billion (2024 est.)

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Household consumption: 76.2% (2019 est.)

Government consumption: 13.6% (2019 est.)

Investment in fixed capital: 24.1% (2019 est.)

Investment in inventories: 0.2% (2019 est.)

Exports of goods and services: 38% (2019 est.)

Imports of goods and services: -52.1% (2019 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

USA 39%, China 11%, Brazil 4%, Colombia 4%, Japan 4% (2023)

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

17.9% of GDP (2024 est.)
18.5% of GDP (2023 est.)
21.6% of GDP (2022 est.)

note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

1.57 million (2024 est.)

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

$9.636 billion (2023 est.)

note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

$4.869 billion (2023 est.)
$4.52 billion (2022 est.)
$4.838 billion (2021 est.)

note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

106.3% of GDP (2020 est.)

note: central government debt as a % of GDP

4.9% (2024 est.)
4.4% (2023 est.)
4.1% (2022 est.)

note: % of labor force seeking employment

25.7% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

$29.13 billion (2024 est.)
$29.341 billion (2023 est.)
$28.596 billion (2022 est.)

note: data in 2021 dollars

5.4% (2024 est.)
6.5% (2023 est.)
10.3% (2022 est.)

note: annual % change based on consumer prices

$678.808 million (2024 est.)
$568.932 million (2023 est.)
-$136.401 million (2022 est.)

note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

$10,300 (2024 est.)
$10,300 (2023 est.)
$10,100 (2022 est.)

note: data in 2021 dollars

$9.524 billion (2024 est.)
$9.866 billion (2023 est.)
$9.726 billion (2022 est.)

note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

$7.124 billion (2024 est.)
$7.275 billion (2023 est.)
$6.424 billion (2022 est.)

note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

-0.7% (2024 est.)
2.6% (2023 est.)
5.2% (2022 est.)

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

-1.5% (2024 est.)

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Agriculture: 9.8% (2024 est.)

Industry: 18.3% (2024 est.)

Services: 60.3% (2024 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)

Consumption: 106,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

Exports: 100 metric tons (2022 est.)

Imports: 105,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

Fossil fuels: 87.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Solar: 2.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Wind: 6.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Hydroelectricity: 2.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Biomass and waste: 1.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Consumption: 822.549 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

Imports: 822.549 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

Total petroleum production: 3,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Refined petroleum consumption: 41,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Installed generating capacity: 1.242 million kW (2023 est.)

Consumption: 3.301 billion kWh (2023 est.)

Transmission/distribution losses: 1.181 billion kWh (2023 est.)

Percent of population: 83% (2023 est.)

.jm

3 free-to-air TV stations, subscription cable services, and roughly 30 radio stations (2019)

Total subscriptions: 3.27 million (2023 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 106 (2022 est.)

Total: 448,000 (2023 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 16 (2023 est.)

Total subscriptions: 459,000 (2023 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 16 (2023 est.)

6Y

20 (2025)

Total: 40 (2023)

By type: Bulk carrier 1, general cargo 11, oil tanker 1, other 27

2 (2025)

18-23 for voluntary military service (17 with parental consent) for men and women; 18-28 for the reserves; no conscription; since 2017, the JDF's standard mode of recruitment is to enroll recruits ages 18-23 through the Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC), which has a service requirement of 12 months (2025)

Note 1: The Jamaica Combined Cadet Force (JCCF), a youth organization under the Ministry of Security, also provides a recruitment pool for the JDF, as well as other government agencies

Note 2: As of 2022, women made up about 20% of the JDF's uniformed personnel

1.4% of GDP (2024 est.)
1.2% of GDP (2023 est.)
1.3% of GDP (2022 est.)
1.4% of GDP (2021 est.)
1.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

Jamaica Defense Force (JDF): Jamaica Regiment (Land Force), Maritime, Air, and Cyber Command (MACC), Support Brigade, Caribbean Military Academy, Jamaica National Reserve (2025)

Note: The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is the country’s police force; it has primary responsibility for internal security and has units for community policing, special response, intelligence gathering, and internal affairs; both it and the JDF are under the Ministry of National Security

approximately 4,000 active Jamaica Defense Forces (2025)

in addition to its responsibility of defending against external aggression, the Jamaican Defense Force's (JDF) primary missions are border, cyber, internal, and maritime security; other missions include search and rescue, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, and peacekeeping; it has arrest authority and partners with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), particularly in support of combating crime and violence; both the JDF and JCF are under the Ministry of National Security, which directs policy for the security forces; the JDF participates in bilateral and multinational training exercises, including with the armed forces of Canada, the UK, the US, and other Caribbean nations

While Jamaica had a militia force as early as the 1660s, the JDF was constituted in 1962 from the West India Regiment (WIR), a British colonial regiment which dates back to 1795 (2025)

the JDF's inventory features equipment mostly from Australia, the Netherlands, and the US (2025)

USG identification:
Major illicit drug-producing and/or drug-transit country (2025)

Total ports: 11 (2024)

Large: 0

Medium: 1

Small: 2

Very small: 8

Ports with oil terminals: 5

Key ports: Falmouth, Kingston, Lucea, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Rio Bueno, Rocky Point, Savannah la Mar

Chamber name: House of Representatives

Number of seats: 63 (all directly elected)

Electoral system: Plurality/majority

Scope of elections: Full renewal

Term in office: 5 years

Most recent election date: 9/3/2025

Parties elected and seats per party: Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) (35); People's National Party (PNP) (28)

Percentage of women in chamber: 30.2%

Expected date of next election: August 2030

Chamber name: Senate

Number of seats: 21 (all appointed)

Scope of elections: Full renewal

Term in office: 5 years

Most recent election date: 9/18/2025

Percentage of women in chamber: 33.3%

Expected date of next election: September 2030

39.9 (2021 est.)

Note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality