2019 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2019 Archive (Wayback Machine)
Introduction
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 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, and poverty pose significant challenges to the government today. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy.
Geography
Area
- Land
- 10,831 sq km
- Total
- 10,991 sq km
- Water
- 160 sq km
Area Comparative
about half the size of New Jersey; slightly smaller than Connecticut
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Coastline
1,022 km
Elevation
- Highest Point
- Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
- Lowest Point
- Caribbean Sea 0 m
- Mean Elevation
- 18 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; land erosion
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
Geographic Coordinates
18 15 N, 77 30 W
Geography Note
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
Irrigated Land
250 sq km (2012)
Land Boundaries
0 km
Land Use
- Agricultural Land
- 41.4% (2011 est.)
- Agricultural Land Arable Land
- 11.1% (2011 est.)
- Agricultural Land Permanent Crops
- 9.2% (2011 est.)
- Agricultural Land Permanent Pasture
- 21.1% (2011 est.)
- Forest
- 31.1% (2011 est.)
- Other
- 27.5% (2011 est.)
Location
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
Map References
Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime Claims
- 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, alumina, gypsum, limestone
Population Distribution
population density is high throughout, but increases in and around Kingston, Montego Bay, and Port Esquivel
Terrain
mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
People and Society
Age Structure
- 0 14 Years
- 26.01% (male 372,158 /female 359,388)
- 15 24 Years
- 18.36% (male 261,012 /female 255,223)
- 25 54 Years
- 38.03% (male 518,984 /female 550,412)
- 55 64 Years
- 8.89% (male 123,769 /female 126,350)
- 65 Years And Over
- 8.71% (male 115,573 /female 129,221) (2018 est.)
Birth Rate
16.5 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)
Children Under The Age Of 5 Years Underweight
2.2% (2014)
Contraceptive Prevalence Rate
72.5% (2008/09)
Current Health Expenditure
6.1% (2016)
Death Rate
7.6 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)
Dependency Ratios
- Elderly Dependency Ratio
- 13.8 (2015 est.)
- Potential Support Ratio
- 7.2 (2015 est.)
- Total Dependency Ratio
- 48.7 (2015 est.)
- Youth Dependency Ratio
- 34.9 (2015 est.)
Drinking Water Source
- Improved Rural
- 89.4% of population
- Improved Total
- 93.8% of population
- Improved Urban
- 97.5% of population
- Unimproved Rural
- 10.6% of population
- Unimproved Total
- 6.2% of population (2015 est.)
- Unimproved Urban
- 2.5% of population
Education Expenditures
5.4% of GDP (2018)
Ethnic Groups
black 92.1%, mixed 6.1%, East Indian 0.8%, other 0.4%, unspecified 0.7% (2011 est.)
HIV/AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate
1.9% (2018 est.)
HIV/AIDS Deaths
1,500 (2018 est.)
HIV/AIDS People Living With HIV/AIDS
40,000 (2018 est.)
Hospital Bed Density
1.7 beds/1,000 population (2013)
Infant Mortality Rate
- Female
- 10.8 deaths/1,000 live births
- Male
- 13.9 deaths/1,000 live births
- Total
- 12.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)
Languages
English, English patois
Life Expectancy at Birth
- Female
- 76.5 years
- Male
- 72.7 years
- Total Population
- 74.5 years (2018 est.)
Literacy
- Definition
- age 15 and over has ever attended school
- Female
- 93.1% (2015)
- Male
- 84%
- Total Population
- 88.7%
Major Infectious Diseases
note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus
Major Urban Areas Population
590,000 KINGSTON (capital) (2019)
Maternal Mortality Rate
80 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)
Median Age
- Female
- 29.3 years
- Male
- 27.8 years
- Total
- 28.6 years (2018 est.)
Mother's Mean Age at First Birth
21.2 years (2008 est.)
Nationality
- Adjective
- Jamaican
- Noun
- Jamaican(s)
Net Migration Rate
-9.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.)
Obesity Adult Prevalence Rate
24.7% (2016)
Physicians Density
1.32 physicians/1,000 population (2017)
Population
2,812,090 (July 2018 est.)
Population Growth Rate
-0.05% (2018 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 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.)
Sanitation Facility Access
- Improved Rural
- 84.1% of population (2015 est.)
- Improved Total
- 81.8% of population (2015 est.)
- Improved Urban
- 79.9% of population (2015 est.)
- Unimproved Rural
- 15.9% of population (2015 est.)
- Unimproved Total
- 18.2% of population (2015 est.)
- Unimproved Urban
- 20.1% of population (2015 est.)
Sex Ratio
- 0 14 Years
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 15 24 Years
- 1.02 male(s)/female
- 25 54 Years
- 0.94 male(s)/female
- 55 64 Years
- 0.98 male(s)/female
- 65 Years And Over
- 0.89 male(s)/female
- At Birth
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- Total Population
- 0.98 male(s)/female (2018 est.)
Total Fertility Rate
2.09 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Unemployment Youth Ages 15 24
- Female
- 29.2% (2018 est.)
- Male
- 20.1%
- Total
- 24.1%
Urbanization
- Rate Of Urbanization
- 0.82% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
- Urban Population
- 56% of total population (2019)
Government
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
Capital
- Geographic Coordinates
- 18 00 N, 76 48 W
- Name
- Kingston
- Time Difference
- UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Citizenship
- Citizenship By Birth
- yes
- Citizenship By Descent Only
- yes
- Dual Citizenship Recognized
- yes
- Residency Requirement For Naturalization
- 4 out of the previous 5 years
Constitution
- Amendments
- 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; amended many times, last in 2017 (2018)
- History
- several previous (preindependence); latest drafted 1961-62, submitted to British Parliament 24 July 1962, entered into force 6 August 1962 (at independence)
Country Name
- Conventional Long Form
- none
- Conventional Short Form
- Jamaica
- Etymology
- from the native Taino word "haymaca" meaning "Land of Wood and Water" or possibly "Land of Springs"
Diplomatic Representation From The Us
- Chief Of Mission
- Ambassador Designate Donald R. TAPIA (confirmed by US Senate on 18 July 2019)
- Embassy
- 142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6
- Fax
- [1] (876) 702-6001 (2018)
- Mailing Address
- P.O. Box 541, Kingston 5
- Telephone
- [1] (876) 702-6000 (2018)
Diplomatic Representation In The Us
- Chancery
- 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
- Chief Of Mission
- Ambassador Audrey Patrice MARKS (since 18 January 2017)
- Consulate S
- Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Concord (MA), Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, 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 Sir Patrick L. ALLEN (since 26 February 2009)
- 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 Andrew HOLNESS (since 3 March 2016)
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
parliamentary democracy (Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; 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 Courts
- 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 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)
- 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: Senate (21 seats; members appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister and the opposition leader, 13 seats allocated to the ruling party, and 8 seats allocated to the opposition party; members serve 5-year terms or until Parliament is dissolved) House of Representatives (63 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms or until Parliament is dissolved)
- Election Results
- Senate - percent by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 16, women 5, percent of women 23.8% House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - JLP 50.1%, PNP 49.7%, other 0.2%; seats by party - JLP 32, PNP 31; note - as of June 2019, by-elections have changed House seats to JLP 34, PNP 29; composition - men 51, women 12, percent of women 19%; note - total Parliament percent of women 20%
- Elections
- Senate - last full slate of appointments on 10 March 2016 (next no later than February 2021) House of Representatives - last held on 25 February 2016; by-election for 5 seats held on 30 October 2017 (3 seats), 5 March 2018, and 4 April 2019 (next to be held no later than February 2021)
National Anthem
- Lyrics Music
- Hugh Braham SHERLOCK/Robert Charles LIGHTBOURNE
- Name
- Jamaica, Land We Love
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 Michael HOLNESS] People's National Party or PNP [Dr. Peter David PHILLIPS] National Democratic Movement or NDM [Peter TOWNSEND]
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economy
Agriculture Products
sugar cane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; shellfish
Budget
- Expenditures
- 4.314 billion (2017 est.)
- Revenues
- 4.382 billion (2017 est.)
Budget Surplus Or Deficit
0.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Central Bank Discount Rate
- 31 December 2016
- 3%
- 31 December 2017
- 3.25%
Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
- 31 December 2016
- 16.49%
- 31 December 2017
- 14.91%
Current Account Balance
- 2016
- -$381 million
- 2017
- -$679 million
Debt External
- 31 December 2016
- $10.24 billion
- 31 December 2017
- $14.94 billion
Distribution Of Family Income Gini Index
- 2015
- 38
- 2016
- 35
Economy Overview
The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which accounts for more than 70% of GDP. The country derives most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances, and bauxite/alumina. Earnings from remittances and tourism each account for 14% and 20% of GDP, while bauxite/alumina exports have declined to less than 5% of GDP.Jamaica's economy has grown on average less than 1% a year for the last three decades and many impediments remain to growth: a bloated public sector which crowds out spending on important projects; high crime and corruption; red-tape; and a high debt-to-GDP ratio. Jamaica, however, has made steady progress in reducing its debt-to-GDP ratio from a high of almost 150% in 2012 to less than 110% in 2017, in close collaboration with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The current IMF Stand-By Agreement requires Jamaica to produce an annual primary surplus of 7%, in an attempt to reduce its debt burden below 60% by 2025.Economic growth reached 1.6% in 2016, but declined to 0.9% in 2017 after intense rainfall, demonstrating the vulnerability of the economy to weather-related events. The HOLNESS administration therefore faces the difficult prospect of maintaining fiscal discipline to reduce the debt load while simultaneously implementing growth inducing policies and attacking a serious crime problem. High unemployment exacerbates the crime problem, including gang violence fueled by advanced fee fraud (lottery scamming) and the drug trade.
Exchange Rates
- 2013
- 110.935
- 2014
- 116.898
- 2015
- 125.126
- 2016
- 125.14
- 2017
- 128.36
- Currency
- Jamaican dollars (JMD) per US dollar -
Exports
- 2016
- $1.195 billion
- 2017
- $1.296 billion
Exports Commodities
alumina, bauxite, chemicals, coffee, mineral fuels, waste and scrap metals, sugar, yams
Exports Partners
US 39.1%, Netherlands 12.3%, Canada 8.4% (2017)
Fiscal Year
1 April - 31 March
GDP Composition By End Use
- Exports Of Goods And Services
- 30.1% (2017 est.)
- Government Consumption
- 13.7% (2017 est.)
- Household Consumption
- 81.9% (2017 est.)
- Imports Of Goods And Services
- -47.1% (2017 est.)
- Investment In Fixed Capital
- 21.3% (2017 est.)
- Investment In Inventories
- 0.1% (2017 est.)
GDP Composition By Sector Of Origin
- Agriculture
- 7% (2017 est.)
- Industry
- 21.1% (2017 est.)
- Services
- 71.9% (2017 est.)
GDP Official Exchange Rate
$14.77 billion (2017 est.)
GDP Per Capita Ppp
- 2015
- $9,100
- 2016
- $9,200
- 2017
- $9,200
GDP Purchasing Power Parity
- 2015
- $25.51 billion
- 2016
- $25.89 billion
- 2017
- $26.06 billion
GDP Real Growth Rate
- 2015
- 0.9%
- 2016
- 1.5%
- 2017
- 0.7%
Gross National Saving
- 2015
- 18% of GDP
- 2016
- 20.6% of GDP
- 2017
- 18.3% of GDP
Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share
- Highest 10
- 29.3% (2015)
- Lowest 10
- 2.6%
Imports
- 2016
- $4.169 billion
- 2017
- $5.151 billion
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 40.6%, Colombia 6.8%, Japan 5.8%, China 5.8%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.7% (2017)
Industrial Production Growth Rate
0.9% (2017 est.)
Industries
agriculture, mining, manufacture, construction, financial and insurance services, tourism, telecommunications
Inflation Rate Consumer Prices
- 2016
- 2.3%
- 2017
- 4.4%
Labor Force
1.348 million (2017 est.)
Labor Force By Occupation
- Agriculture
- 16.1%
- Industry
- 16%
- Services
- 67.9% (2017)
Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares
- 31 December 2015
- $5.38 billion
- 31 December 2016
- $5.715 billion
- 31 December 2017
- $8.393 billion
Population Below Poverty Line
17.1% (2016 est.)
Public Debt
- 2016
- 113.6% of GDP
- 2017
- 101% of GDP
Reserves Of Foreign Exchange And Gold
- 31 December 2016
- $2.719 billion
- 31 December 2017
- $3.781 billion
Stock Of Broad Money
- 31 December 2016
- $3.427 billion
- 31 December 2017
- $3.55 billion
Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad
- 2010
- $176 million
- 2016
- $604 million
Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment at Home
- 2010
- $10.86 billion
- 2016
- $15.03 billion
Stock Of Domestic Credit
- 31 December 2016
- $7.382 billion
- 31 December 2017
- $7.326 billion
Stock Of Narrow Money
- 31 December 2016
- $3.427 billion
- 31 December 2017
- $3.55 billion
Taxes And Other Revenues
29.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Unemployment Rate
- 2016
- 12.8%
- 2017
- 12.2%
Energy
Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Consumption Of Energy
8.9 million Mt (2017 est.)
Crude Oil Exports
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude Oil Imports
24,360 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude Oil Production
0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude Oil Proved Reserves
0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Electricity Access
- Electrification Rural Areas
- 96% (2016)
- Electrification Total Population
- 98.2% (2016)
- Electrification Urban Areas
- 100% (2016)
Electricity Consumption
2.847 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Electricity Exports
0 kWh (2016 est.)
Electricity From Fossil Fuels
83% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Electricity From Hydroelectric Plants
3% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Electricity From Nuclear Fuels
0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Electricity From Other Renewable Sources
15% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Electricity Imports
0 kWh (2016 est.)
Electricity Installed Generating Capacity
1.078 million kW (2016 est.)
Electricity Production
4.007 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Natural Gas Consumption
198.2 million cu m (2017 est.)
Natural Gas Exports
0 cu m (2017 est.)
Natural Gas Imports
198.2 million cu m (2017 est.)
Natural Gas Production
0 cu m (2017 est.)
Natural Gas Proved Reserves
0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)
Refined Petroleum Products Consumption
55,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Refined Petroleum Products Exports
823 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Refined Petroleum Products Imports
30,580 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Refined Petroleum Products Production
24,250 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Communications
Broadband Fixed Subscriptions
- Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants
- 8 (2017 est.)
- Total
- 239,120
Broadcast Media
3 free-to-air TV stations, subscription cable services, and roughly 30 radio stations (2019)
Internet Country Code
.jm
Internet Users
- Percent Of Population
- 45% (July 2016 est.)
- Total
- 1,336,653
Telephone System
- Domestic
- the 1999 agreement to open the market for telecommunications services resulted in rapid growth in mobile-cellular telephone usage, 103 per 100 subscriptions, while the number of fixed-lines, 10 per 100, subscriptions has declined (2018)
- General Assessment
- fully automatic domestic telephone network; LTE networks providing coverage to 90% of the island population (2018)
- International
- country code - 1-876 and 1-658; landing points for the ALBA-1, CFX-1, Fibralink, East-West, and Cayman-Jamaican Fiber System submarine cables providing connections to South America, parts of the Caribbean, Central America and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)
Telephones Fixed Lines
- Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants
- 10 (2017 est.)
- Total Subscriptions
- 297,027
Telephones Mobile Cellular
- Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants
- 103 (2017 est.)
- Total Subscriptions
- 3,091,222
Transportation
Airports
28 (2013)
Airports With Paved Runways
- 2 438 To 3 047 M
- 2 (2017)
- 914 To 1 523 M
- 4 (2017)
- Total
- 11 (2017)
- Under 914 M
- 5 (2017)
Airports With Unpaved Runways
- 914 To 1 523 M
- 1 (2013)
- Total
- 17 (2013)
- Under 914 M
- 16 (2013)
Civil Aircraft Registration Country Code Prefix
6Y (2016)
Merchant Marine
- By Type
- bulk carrier 1, container ship 8, general cargo 10, oil tanker 1, other 23 (2018)
- Total
- 43
National Air Transport System
- Annual Freight Traffic On Registered Air Carriers
- 0 mt-km (2015)
- Annual Passenger Traffic On Registered Air Carriers
- 92,836 (2015)
- Inventory Of Registered Aircraft Operated By Air Carriers
- 5 (2015)
- Number Of Registered Air Carriers
- 2 (2015)
Ports And Terminals
- Container Port's Teus
- Kingston (1,681,706) (2017)
- Major Seaport S
- Discovery Bay (Port Rhoades), Kingston, Montego Bay, Port Antonio, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Rocky Point
Roadways
- Paved
- 16,148 km (2011)
- Total
- 22,121 km (includes 44 km of expressways) (2011)
- Unpaved
- 5,973 km (2011)
Military and Security
Military And Security Forces
Jamaica Defense Force (JDF): Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing (2019)
Military Expenditures
- 2014
- 0.87% of GDP
- 2015
- 0.87% of GDP
- 2016
- 0.96% of GDP
- 2017
- 0.98% of GDP
- 2018
- 1.35% of GDP
Military Service Age And Obligation
17 1/2 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)
Transnational Issues
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 and destination country for children and adults subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; sex trafficking of children and adults occurs on the street, in night clubs, bars, massage parlors, and private homes; child sex tourism is a problem in resort areas; 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; a 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 2014, the government made significant efforts to raise public awareness of human trafficking, and named a national trafficking-in-persons rapporteur – the first in the region; authorities initiated more new trafficking investigations than in 2013 and concluded a trafficking case in the Supreme Court, but chronic delays impeded prosecutions and no offenders were convicted for the sixth consecutive year; more adult trafficking victims were identified than in previous years, but only one child victim was identified, which was exceptionally low relative to the number of vulnerable children (2015)