Jamaica

total: 239,120 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 8 (2017 est.)

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

.jm

total: 1,336,653 | percent of population: 45% (July 2016 est.)

general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone network; LTE networks providing coverage to 90% of the island population (2018) | 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) | 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)

total subscriptions: 297,027 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 10 (2017 est.)

total subscriptions: 3,091,222 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 103 (2017 est.)

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

revenues: 4.382 billion (2017 est.) | expenditures: 4.314 billion (2017 est.)

0.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

3.25% (31 December 2017) | 3% (31 December 2016)

14.91% (31 December 2017 est.) | 16.49% (31 December 2016 est.)

-$679 million (2017 est.) | -$381 million (2016 est.)

$14.94 billion (31 December 2017 est.) | $10.24 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

35 (2016) | 38 (2015)

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.

Jamaican dollars (JMD) per US dollar - | 128.36 (2017 est.) | 125.14 (2016 est.) | 125.126 (2015 est.) | 116.898 (2014 est.) | 110.935 (2013 est.)

$1.296 billion (2017 est.) | $1.195 billion (2016 est.)

alumina, bauxite, chemicals, coffee, mineral fuels, waste and scrap metals, sugar, yams

US 39.1%, Netherlands 12.3%, Canada 8.4% (2017)

1 April - 31 March

$14.77 billion (2017 est.)

$26.06 billion (2017 est.) | $25.89 billion (2016 est.) | $25.51 billion (2015 est.) | note: data are in 2017 dollars

household consumption: 81.9% (2017 est.) | government consumption: 13.7% (2017 est.) | investment in fixed capital: 21.3% (2017 est.) | investment in inventories: 0.1% (2017 est.) | exports of goods and services: 30.1% (2017 est.) | imports of goods and services: -47.1% (2017 est.)

agriculture: 7% (2017 est.) | industry: 21.1% (2017 est.) | services: 71.9% (2017 est.)

$9,200 (2017 est.) | $9,200 (2016 est.) | $9,100 (2015 est.) | note: data are in 2017 dollars

0.7% (2017 est.) | 1.5% (2016 est.) | 0.9% (2015 est.)

18.3% of GDP (2017 est.) | 20.6% of GDP (2016 est.) | 18% of GDP (2015 est.)

lowest 10%: 2.6% | highest 10%: 29.3% (2015)

$5.151 billion (2017 est.) | $4.169 billion (2016 est.)

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

US 40.6%, Colombia 6.8%, Japan 5.8%, China 5.8%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.7% (2017)

0.9% (2017 est.)

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

4.4% (2017 est.) | 2.3% (2016 est.)

1.348 million (2017 est.)

agriculture: 16.1% | industry: 16% | services: 67.9% (2017)

$8.393 billion (31 December 2017 est.) | $5.715 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $5.38 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

17.1% (2016 est.)

101% of GDP (2017 est.) | 113.6% of GDP (2016 est.)

$3.781 billion (31 December 2017 est.) | $2.719 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$3.55 billion (31 December 2017 est.) | $3.427 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$604 million (2016) | $176 million (2010)

$15.03 billion (2016) | $10.86 billion (2010)

$7.326 billion (31 December 2017 est.) | $7.382 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$3.55 billion (31 December 2017 est.) | $3.427 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

29.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

12.2% (2017 est.) | 12.8% (2016 est.)

8.9 million Mt (2017 est.)

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

24,360 bbl/day (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

2.847 billion kWh (2016 est.)

0 kWh (2016 est.)

83% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

3% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

15% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

0 kWh (2016 est.)

1.078 million kW (2016 est.)

4.007 billion kWh (2016 est.)

electrification - total population: 98.2% (2016) | electrification - urban areas: 100% (2016) | electrification - rural areas: 96% (2016)

198.2 million cu m (2017 est.)

0 cu m (2017 est.)

198.2 million cu m (2017 est.)

0 cu m (2017 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

55,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)

823 bbl/day (2015 est.)

30,580 bbl/day (2015 est.)

24,250 bbl/day (2017 est.)

total: 10,991 sq km | land: 10,831 sq km | water: 160 sq km

about half the size of New Jersey; slightly smaller than Connecticut | Area comparison map: The World Factbook Field Image Modal × Central America :: Jamaica Print Image Description about half the size of New Jersey; slightly smaller than Connecticut

tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior

1,022 km

mean elevation: 18 m | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m | highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m

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, 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

18 15 N, 77 30 W

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

250 sq km (2012)

0 km

agricultural land: 41.4% (2011 est.) | arable land: 11.1% (2011 est.) / permanent crops: 9.2% (2011 est.) / permanent pasture: 21.1% (2011 est.) | forest: 31.1% (2011 est.) | other: 27.5% (2011 est.)

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

Central America and the Caribbean

territorial sea: 12 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm | contiguous zone: 24 nm | continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin | measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines

hurricanes (especially July to November)

bauxite, alumina, gypsum, limestone

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

mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

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 blending of the words "king's" and "town"; the English king at the time of the city's founding in 1692 was William III

citizenship by birth: yes | citizenship by descent only: yes | dual citizenship recognized: yes | residency requirement for naturalization: 4 out of the previous 5 years

history: several previous (preindependence); latest drafted 1961-62, submitted to British Parliament 24 July 1962, entered into force 6 August 1962 (at independence) | 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)

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"

chief of mission: Ambassador Designate Donald R. TAPIA (confirmed by US Senate on 18 July 2019) | telephone: [1] (876) 702-6000 (2018) | embassy: 142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6 | mailing address: P.O. Box 541, Kingston 5 | FAX: [1] (876) 702-6001 (2018)

Ambassador Audrey Patrice MARKS (since 18 January 2017) | chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 | telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660 | FAX: [1] (202) 452-0036 | consulate(s) general: Miami, New York | consulate(s): Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Concord (MA), Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Richmond (VA), San Francisco, Seattle

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); 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 | 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

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

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

6 August 1962 (from the UK)

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

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

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

common law system based on the English model

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) | 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) | 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%

name: Jamaica, Land We Love | lyrics/music: Hugh Braham SHERLOCK/Robert Charles LIGHTBOURNE | note: adopted 1962

Independence Day, 6 August (1962)

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

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]

18 years of age; universal

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.

Jamaica Defense Force (JDF): Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing (2019)

1.35% of GDP (2018) | 0.98% of GDP (2017) | 0.96% of GDP (2016) | 0.87% of GDP (2015) | 0.87% of GDP (2014)

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

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.) | population pyramid: The World Factbook Field Image Modal × Central America :: Jamaica Print Image Description This is the population pyramid for Jamaica. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends. For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.

16.5 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

2.2% (2014)

72.5% (2008/09)

6.1% (2016)

7.6 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio: 48.7 (2015 est.) | youth dependency ratio: 34.9 (2015 est.) | elderly dependency ratio: 13.8 (2015 est.) | potential support ratio: 7.2 (2015 est.)

improved: urban: 97.5% of population | rural: 89.4% of population | total: 93.8% of population | unimproved: urban: 2.5% of population | rural: 10.6% of population | total: 6.2% of population (2015 est.)

5.4% of GDP (2018)

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

1.9% (2018 est.)

1,500 (2018 est.)

40,000 (2018 est.)

1.7 beds/1,000 population (2013)

total: 12.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.) | male: 13.9 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 10.8 deaths/1,000 live births

English, English patois

total population: 74.5 years (2018 est.) | male: 72.7 years | female: 76.5 years

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school | total population: 88.7% | male: 84% | female: 93.1% (2015)

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

590,000 KINGSTON (capital) (2019)

80 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

total: 28.6 years (2018 est.) | male: 27.8 years | female: 29.3 years

21.2 years (2008 est.) | note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

noun: Jamaican(s) | adjective: Jamaican

-9.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.)

24.7% (2016)

1.32 physicians/1,000 population (2017)

2,812,090 (July 2018 est.)

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

-0.05% (2018 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.)

improved: urban: 79.9% of population (2015 est.) | rural: 84.1% of population (2015 est.) | total: 81.8% of population (2015 est.) | unimproved: urban: 20.1% of population (2015 est.) | rural: 15.9% of population (2015 est.) | total: 18.2% of population (2015 est.)

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female | 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 | total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

2.09 children born/woman (2018 est.)

total: 24.1% | male: 20.1% | female: 29.2% (2018 est.)

urban population: 56% of total population (2019) | rate of urbanization: 0.82% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

none

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

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)

28 (2013)

total: 11 (2017) | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2017) | 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2017) | under 914 m: 5 (2017)

total: 17 (2013) | 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2013) | under 914 m: 16 (2013)

6Y (2016)

total: 43 | by type: bulk carrier 1, container ship 8, general cargo 10, oil tanker 1, other 23 (2018)

number of registered air carriers: 2 (2015) | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 5 (2015) | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 92,836 (2015) | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 0 mt-km (2015)

major seaport(s): Discovery Bay (Port Rhoades), Kingston, Montego Bay, Port Antonio, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Rocky Point | container port(s) (TEUs): Kingston (1,681,706) (2017)

total: 22,121 km (includes 44 km of expressways) (2011) | paved: 16,148 km (2011) | unpaved: 5,973 km (2011)