2015 Edition

Background

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 gained full independence when it withdrew from the Federation 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, and poverty pose significant challenges to the government today. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy.

Area

land

10,831 sq km

total

10,991 sq km

water

160 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Connecticut

Climate

tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior

Coastline

1,022 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m

lowest point

Caribbean Sea 0 m

Environment - current issues

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

Environment - international agreements

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified

none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

369.9 cu m/yr (2009)

total

0.93 cu km/yr (32%/16%/52%)

Geographic coordinates

18 15 N, 77 30 W

Geography - note

strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal

Irrigated land

252.2 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land 11.1%; permanent crops 9.2%; permanent pasture 21.1%

agricultural land

41.4%

forest

31.1%

other

27.5% (2011 est.)

Location

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm or to edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

hurricanes (especially July to November)

Natural resources

bauxite, gypsum, limestone

Terrain

mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Total renewable water resources

9.4 cu km (2011)

Age structure

0-14 years

27.97% (male 419,725/female 405,573)

15-24 years

21.46% (male 317,873/female 315,163)

25-54 years

37% (male 538,173/female 553,486)

55-64 years

5.69% (male 81,281/female 86,713)

65 years and over

7.87% (male 103,958/female 128,265) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

18.16 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Child labor - children ages 5-14

percentage

6% (2005 est.)

total number

38,516

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

3.2% (2010)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

72.5% (2008/09)

Death rate

6.7 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

13.6%

potential support ratio

7.4% (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio

48.6%

youth dependency ratio

35%

Drinking water source

urban: 97.5% of population

rural: 89.4% of population

total: 93.8% of population

urban: 2.5% of population

rural: 10.6% of population

total: 6.2% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

6.3% of GDP (2013)

Ethnic groups

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

Health expenditures

5.9% of GDP (2013)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.62% (2014 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

1,300 (2014 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

29,400 (2014 est.)

Hospital bed density

1.7 beds/1,000 population (2012)

Infant mortality rate

female

12.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)

male

13.93 deaths/1,000 live births

total

13.37 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

English, English patois

Life expectancy at birth

female

75.24 years (2015 est.)

male

71.93 years

total population

73.55 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over has ever attended school

female

93.1% (2015 est.)

male

84%

total population

88.7%

Major urban areas - population

KINGSTON (capital) 588,000 (2015)

Median age

female

25.8 years (2015 est.)

male

24.8 years

total

25.3 years

Nationality

adjective

Jamaican

noun

Jamaican(s)

Net migration rate

-4.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

26.8% (2014)

Physicians density

0.41 physicians/1,000 population (2008)

Population

2,950,210 (July 2015 est.)

Population growth rate

0.68% (2015 est.)

Religions

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 .9%, and Moravian .7%), Roman Catholic 2.2%, Jehovah's Witness 1.9%, Rastafarian 1.1%, other 6.5%, none 21.3%, unspecified 2.3% (2011 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 79.9% of population

rural: 84.1% of population

total: 81.8% of population

urban: 20.1% of population

rural: 15.9% of population

total: 18.2% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

13 years (2013)

male

12 years

total

12 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.01 male(s)/female

25-54 years

0.97 male(s)/female

55-64 years

0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.81 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.01 children born/woman (2015 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

42.6% (2012 est.)

male

27.1%

total

34%

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.9% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

urban population

54.8% of total population (2015)

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

geographic coordinates

18 00 N, 76 48 W

name

Kingston

time difference

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

Constitution

several previous (preindependence); latest drafted 1961-62, submitted to British Parliament 24 July 1962, entered into force 6 August 1962 (at independence); amended many times, last in 2011 (2011)

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Jamaica

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Luis G. MORENO (since 13 January 2015)

embassy

142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6

FAX

[1] (876) 702-6348

mailing address

P.O. Box 541, Kingston 5

telephone

[1] (876) 702-6000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

chief of mission

Ambassador Ralph THOMAS (since 17 September 2015)

consulate(s)

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Concord (MA), Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia (PA), Richmond (VA), San Francisco, Seattle

consulate(s) general

Miami, New York

FAX

[1] (202) 452-0036

telephone

[1] (202) 452-0660

Executive branch

cabinet

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

chief of state

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Michaelle JEAN (since 5 January 2015)

elections/appointments

the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the House of Representatives is appointed prime minister by the governor general

head of government

Prime Minister Portia SIMPSON-MILLER (since 5 January 2012)

Flag description

diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and fly side); green represents hope, vegetation, and agriculture, black reflects hardships overcome and to be faced, and yellow recalls golden sunshine and the island's natural resources

Government type

constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

Independence

6 August 1962 (from the UK)

International law organization participation

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

International organization participation

ACP, 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

Judicial branch

highest resident 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); note - appeals beyond Jamaica's highest courts are submitted to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) rather than to the Caribbean Court of Justice (the appellate court implemented for member states of the Caribbean Community)

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

Legal system

common law system based on the English model

Legislative branch

description

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21 seats; members appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister and the minority party leader, 13 seats allocated to the ruling party, and 8 seats allocated to the minority party; members serve 5-year terms) and the House of Representatives (63 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - PNP 53.3%, JLP 46.6%; seats by party - PNP 41, JLP 22

elections

last held on 29 December 2011 (next to be held no later than December 2016)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Hugh Braham SHERLOCK/Robert Charles LIGHTBOURNE

name

"Jamaica, Land We Love"

note

adopted 1962

National holiday

Independence Day, 6 August (1962)

National symbol(s)

green-and-black streamertail (bird), Guaiacum officinale (Guaiacwood); national colors: green, yellow, black

Political parties and leaders

Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Andrew HOLNESS]

People's National Party or PNP [Portia SIMPSON-MILLER]

National Democratic Movement or NDM [Michael WILLIAMS]

Political pressure groups and leaders

New Beginnings Movement or NBM

Rastafarians

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; shellfish

Budget

expenditures

$3.956 billion (2014 est.)

revenues

$3.834 billion

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-0.9% of GDP (2014 est.)

Central bank discount rate

2% (31 December 2010)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

17.3% (31 December 2014 est.)

17.72% (31 December 2013 est.)

Current account balance

-$879 million (2014 est.)

-$1.551 billion (2013 est.)

Debt - external

$15.99 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$15.24 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

45.5 (2004)

37.9 (2000)

Economy - overview

The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which accounts for more than 70% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances, and bauxite/alumina. Remittances and tourism each account for 30% of GDP, while bauxite/alumina exports make up roughly 5% of GDP. The bauxite/alumina sector was most affected by the global downturn while the tourism industry and remittance flow remained resilient. Jamaica's economy faces many challenges to growth: high crime and corruption, large-scale unemployment and underemployment, and a debt-to-GDP ratio of about 130%. The attendant debt servicing cost consumes a large portion of the government's budget, limiting its ability to fund the critical infrastructure and social programs required to drive growth. Jamaica's economic growth rate in the recent past has been stagnant, averaging less than 1% per year for over 20 years. Jamaica's onerous public debt burden is largely the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably to the financial sector. In early 2010, the Jamaican Government initiated the Jamaica Debt Exchange to retire high-priced domestic bonds and reduce annual debt servicing. Despite these efforts, debt continued to be a serious concern, forcing the government to negotiate and sign a new IMF agreement in May 2013 to gain access to approximately $1 billion additional funds. As a precursor, the government instigated a second National Debt Exchange in 2012. The IMF deal requires the government to reform its tax system, eliminate discretionary tax exemptions and waivers, and achieve an annual surplus of 7.5%, excluding debt payments, to reduce its debt below 100% of GDP by 2020. The SIMPSON-MILLER administration now faces the difficult prospect of having to achieve fiscal discipline to maintain debt payments while simultaneously attacking a serious crime problem that is hampering economic growth. High unemployment exacerbates the crime problem, including gang violence that is fueled by the drug trade.

Exchange rates

Jamaican dollars (JMD) per US dollar -

111 (2014 est.)

100.241 (2013 est.)

88.75 (2012 est.)

85.893 (2011 est.)

87.196 (2010 est.)

Exports

$1.497 billion (2014 est.)

$1.597 billion (2013 est.)

Exports - commodities

alumina, bauxite, sugar, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, apparel, mineral fuels

Exports - partners

US 39.5%, Canada 15.3%, Netherlands 5.7%, UK 5.2%, Russia 5.1%, Iceland 4.4% (2014)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP - composition, by end use

(2014 est.)

exports of goods and services

29.2%

government consumption

15.3%

household consumption

85.6%

imports of goods and services

-51.4%

investment in fixed capital

20.9%

investment in inventories

0.3%

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

6.9%

industry

21.1%

services

72% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$8,600 (2014 est.)

$8,600 (2013 est.)

$8,500 (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

0.5% (2014 est.)

0.2% (2013 est.)

-0.5% (2012 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$13.79 billion (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$24.1 billion (2014 est.)

$23.97 billion (2013 est.)

$23.92 billion (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

Gross national saving

13% of GDP (2014 est.)

12% of GDP (2013 est.)

10.7% of GDP (2012 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

35.8% (2004)

lowest 10%

2.1%

Imports

$5.153 billion (2014 est.)

$5.573 billion (2013 est.)

Imports - commodities

food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials

Imports - partners

US 39.3%, Venezuela 11.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 10.2%, China 6.8% (2014)

Industrial production growth rate

1.2% (2014 est.)

Industries

tourism, bauxite/alumina, agricultural-processing, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

7.1% (2014 est.)

9.3% (2013 est.)

Labor force

1.311 million (2014 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

17%

industry

19%

services

64% (2006)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$6.39 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$7.223 billion (31 December 2011)

$6.626 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

16.5% (2009 est.)

Public debt

132% of GDP (2014 est.)

132.2% of GDP (2013 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$2.1 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.818 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of broad money

$6.646 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$6.432 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$7.113 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$6.984 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$1.994 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.905 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

27.5% of GDP (2014 est.)

Unemployment rate

15.3% (2014 est.)

15.2% (2013 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

12.75 million Mt (2012 est.)

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Crude oil - imports

22,940 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Crude oil - production

3,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2014 est.)

Electricity - consumption

3.797 billion kWh (2011 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

91.7% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

2.5% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

5.8% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

922,700 kW (2011 est.)

Electricity - production

4.745 billion kWh (2011 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2012 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2012 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2012 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2012 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

69,310 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

32,920 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

23,120 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Broadcast media

3 free-to-air TV stations, subscription cable services, and roughly 30 radio stations (2013)

Internet country code

.jm

Internet users

percent of population

49.8% (2014 est.)

total

1.5 million

Radio broadcast stations

AM 4, FM 24, shortwave 0 (2008)

Telephone system

domestic

the 1999 agreement to open the market for telecommunications services resulted in rapid growth in mobile-cellular telephone usage while the number of fixed lines in use has declined; combined mobile-cellular teledensity exceeded 110 per 100 persons in 2011

general assessment

fully automatic domestic telephone network

international

country code - 1-876; the Fibralink submarine cable network provides enhanced delivery of business and broadband traffic and is linked to the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) submarine cable in the Dominican Republic; the link to ARCOS-1 provides seamless connectivity to US, parts of the Caribbean, Central America, and South America; the ALBA-1 fiber-optic submarine cable links Jamaica, Cuba, and Venezuela; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2010)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

9 (2014 est.)

total subscriptions

250,000

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

98 (2014 est.)

total

2.9 million

Television broadcast stations

7 (1997)

Airports

28 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

2,438 to 3,047 m

2

914 to 1,523 m

4

total

11

under 914 m

5 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

16 (2013)

914 to 1,523 m

1

total

17

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 4, cargo 5, container 4, roll on/roll off 1

foreign-owned

14 (Denmark 1, Germany 10, Greece 3) (2010)

total

14

Ports and terminals

container port(s) (TEUs)

Kingston (1,724,928)

major seaport(s)

Discovery Bay (Port Rhoades), Kingston, Montego Bay, Port Antonio, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Rocky Point

Roadways

paved

16,148 km

total

22,121 km (includes 44 km of expressways)

unpaved

5,973 km (2011)

Manpower available for military service

females age 16-49

742,958 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

726,263

Manpower fit for military service

females age 16-49

596,414 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

590,673

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

32,702 (2010 est.)

male

33,369

Military branches

Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing (2010)

Military expenditures

0.86% of GDP (2012)

0.92% of GDP (2011)

0.86% of GDP (2010)

Military service age and obligation

17 1/2 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)

Disputes - international

none

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for cocaine from South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation and consumption of cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication program; corruption is a major concern; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Jamaica for illicit financial transactions

Trafficking in persons

current situation

Jamaica is a source, transit, and destination country for children and adults subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; the exploitation of local children in the sex trade is a serious problem; sex trafficking of children and adults occurs on the street, in night clubs, bars, and private homes; Jamaicans have been subjected to sexual exploitation or forced labor in the Caribbean, Canada, the US, and the UK, while foreigners have endured conditions of forced labor in Jamaica or aboard foreign-flagged fishing vessels operating in Jamaican waters; an alarmingly high number of Jamaican children are reported missing

tier rating

Tier 2 Watch List – Jamaica does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; in 2013, the government implemented amendments to strengthen the anti-trafficking law; for the fifth consecutive year, no trafficking offenders or officials complicit in human trafficking were convicted; the lack of victims identified raised concerns that the government did not employ standard operating procedures to guide front-line responders; a government-operated hotline continued to provide specialized assistance to human trafficking victims (2014)