Polity · 1963 CE – present
Jamaica
Jumieka · Xaymaca · Yamaye
- Peak recorded area
- 13,346 km²
- 1963 CE
- Rulers on record
- 19
- from 1952 CE
- Data series
- 337
- 1963 CE–2025 CE
Overview
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean, covering 10,990 square kilometres (4,240 sq mi). It is a popular tourism and resort destination. It is the third-largest island in the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean, after Cuba and the island of Hispaniola. Jamaica lies about 145 km (78 nmi) south of Cuba, 191 km (103 nmi) west of Hispaniola, and 215 km (116 nmi) southeast of the Cayman Islands.
Lead section from Wikipedia, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article.
Territory
2 dated territorial extents on record from Cliopatria. Areas are measured off the recorded polygons; the line steps because each extent holds until the next one is recorded — nothing is interpolated. CShapes 2.0 holds 2 further extents, measured on a different basis and deliberately not merged into this series.
The record
The best-attested series in each category; where several projects publish the same quantity, the one with the most observations is shown. Each row is the most recent value the record holds at or before the last complete year, shown with the year that value belongs to. Some statistical series also publish forward projections — the year column is the honest guide. Nothing on this page is interpolated or estimated by us.
People
6 of 59 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Population269 obs · 1820 CE–2025 CE | 2.8Mpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy165 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 71.73years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Net Migration141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | -11.1Kpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Population Growth141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | -0.102% annual2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Female140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 74.3years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Male140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 69.17years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
Economy
6 of 138 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita PPP220 obs · 1800 CE–2019 CE | 9,245int'l $ (inflation adj.)2019 CE · Gapminder |
| GDP Current Usd111 obs · 1960 CE–2025 CE | 22.7Bcurrent US$2025 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| GDP per capita89 obs · 1820 CE–2022 CE | 7,481.672011 int'l $2022 CE · Maddison Project Database 2023 |
| Inflation66 obs · 1960 CE–2025 CE | 4% annual2025 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Fao Asses Stocks64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 23Khead2024 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Cattle Stocks64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 153.2Khead2024 CE · FAOSTAT |
Military
6 of 19 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Military Expenditure % GDP92 obs · 1976 CE–2024 CE | 1.27% of GDP2024 CE · SIPRI Military Expenditure Database |
| CINC Score55 obs · 1962 CE–2016 CE | 0.0002CINC (share of world capability)2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Energy Consumption55 obs · 1962 CE–2016 CE | 2.6Mcoal-ton equivalents2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Iron Steel Production55 obs · 1962 CE–2016 CE | 0tons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Expenditure55 obs · 1962 CE–2016 CE | 115Mcurrent USD2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Personnel55 obs · 1962 CE–2016 CE | 3,000persons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
Territory & resources
6 of 58 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Arable Land %126 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 11.08% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Forest Area %68 obs · 1990 CE–2023 CE | 56.19% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Agricultural Land %63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 38.5%2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Arable Land per capita Ha63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 0.0423hectares per person2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Fao Agricultural Land63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 417Kha2023 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Arable Land63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 120Kha2023 CE · FAOSTAT |
Governance
6 of 26 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Electoral Democracy Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.803index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Liberal Democracy Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.684index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Participatory Democracy Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.534index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Regime Type125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 3RoW index (0-3)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Rule Of Law Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.874index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Polity254 obs · 1959 CE–2012 CE | 9index (-10 to 10)2012 CE · Clio-Infra |
Development
6 of 37 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Freedom Of Expression Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.923index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Mobile Subscriptions Per 10052 obs · 1960 CE–2023 CE | 115.09per_1002023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Primary Enrollment Gross %46 obs · 1971 CE–2023 CE | 87.74%2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Dpt Immunization %45 obs · 1980 CE–2024 CE | 99%2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Measles Immunization %43 obs · 1982 CE–2024 CE | 94%2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Education Expenditure % GDP41 obs · 1973 CE–2024 CE | 5.51% of GDP2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
Rulers
19 on record with dated reigns. Reign years follow the house convention: BCE years are negative.
- Elizabeth IIHead of State1952 CE – 2022 CE
- Alexander BustamantePrime Minister of Jamaica1962 CE – 1967 CE
- Clifford CampbellGovernor-General of Jamaica1962 CE – 1973 CE
- Donald SangsterPrime Minister of Jamaica1967 CE
- Hugh ShearerPrime Minister of Jamaica1967 CE – 1972 CE
- Michael ManleyPrime Minister of Jamaica1972 CE – 1980 CE
- Florizel GlasspoleGovernor-General of Jamaica1973 CE – 1991 CE
- Herbert DuffusGovernor-General of Jamaica1973 CE
- Edward SeagaPrime Minister of Jamaica1980 CE – 1989 CE
- P. J. PattersonDeputy Prime Minister of Jamaica1989 CE – 1992 CE
- Howard CookeGovernor-General of Jamaica1991 CE – 2006 CE
- P. J. PattersonPrime Minister of Jamaica1992 CE – 2006 CE
- Kenneth O. HallGovernor-General of Jamaica2006 CE – 2009 CE
- Portia Simpson-MillerPrime Minister of Jamaica2006 CE – 2007 CE
- Bruce GoldingPrime Minister of Jamaica2007 CE – 2011 CE
- Patrick AllenGovernor-General of Jamaica2009 CE –
- Andrew HolnessPrime Minister of Jamaica2011 CE – 2012 CE
- Horace ChangDeputy Prime Minister of Jamaica2020 CE –
- Charles IIIHead of State2022 CE –
Country profile
From the CIA World Factbook 2024. Long entries are trimmed at a sentence boundary.
- Location
- Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
- Government type
- parliamentary democracy (Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
- Executive branch
- 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;
- Ethnic groups
- Black 92.1%, mixed 6.1%, East Indian 0.8%, other 0.4%, unspecified 0.7% (2011 est.)
- Natural resources
- bauxite, alumina, gypsum, limestone
- Economy
- upper-middle-income Caribbean island economy; key agriculture and tourism sectors; high crime, youth unemployment, and poverty; susceptible to natural disasters and global commodity price shocks; progress in reducing public debt and moderating inflation within target range
Language & currency
- Currency
- Jamaican dollars (JMD)
Memberships
- United NationsUNInternational organisation · member1962 CE –
- 35-member Defense Pact (1947)Military alliance · member1969 CE –
- CARICOMCARICOMEconomic bloc · founding member1973 CE –
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these. Nothing on this page is estimated, interpolated or model-generated.
CIA World Factbook 2024
Clio-Infra2017 datasets
Clio-Infra project (2017). Reconstructions of global inequality and well-being. International Institute of Social History.
Academic use, attribution
Seshat Global History Databank. Cliopatria: a historical basemap of polity borders (cliopatria.geojson).
Correlates of War NMC v6.0v6.0
Singer, J.D. (1987). National Material Capabilities Data (NMC), v6.0. Correlates of War Project.
Free academic use, citation
FAOSTAT2024 release
FAO (2024). FAOSTAT Statistical Database. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.
CC BY 4.0
Gapminderv14 / systema globalis
Gapminder Foundation. Gapminder systema globalis dataset.
CC BY 4.0
Maddison Project Database 20232023
Bolt, J. & van Zanden, J.L. (2024). Maddison Project Database 2023. University of Groningen GGDC.
CC BY 4.0
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database2024
SIPRI (2024). Military Expenditure Database.
Free for non-commercial use, attribution
UN World Population Prospects 20242024
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
CC BY 3.0 IGO
V-Dem v15v15
Coppedge, M. et al. (2025). V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v15. Varieties of Democracy Project.
Free academic/non-commercial use, attribution
Wikipedia contributors. Article lead sections, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
World Bank World Development Indicators2024 release
World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators. Washington, DC.
CC BY 4.0