Jamaica

total: 385,603 (2020) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 13.02 (2020 est.)

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

.jm

total: 1.63 million (2021 est.) percent of population: 55.07% (2019 est.)

general assessment: good domestic and international service; mobile sector dominates, accounting for majority of the Internet connections and half of telecom sector revenue; extensive LTE networks providing coverage to most of the island population; regulator encouraging competition with little success due to breach of license; government announced support of national broadband network to aid access to education, hospitals, police, and municipal institutions; operators provided customers with data plans to support educational platforms; US grant to fund New Kingston smart city program (2020) domestic: while the number of fixed-lines, 14 per 100, subscriptions has declined, cellular-mobile has grown 103 per 100 subscriptions (2019) 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) note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments

total subscriptions: 436,249 (2020) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 14.73 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions: 2,873,259 (2020) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 97.03 (2020 est.)

sugar cane, goat milk, yams, poultry, coconuts, oranges, bananas, gourds, plantains, grapefruit

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

0.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Fitch rating: B+ (2019) Moody's rating: B2 (2019) Standard & Poors rating: B+ (2019)

-$298 million (2019 est.) -$288 million (2018 est.)

$13.876 billion (2019 est.) $13.912 billion (2018 est.)

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.)

$5.92 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.) $5.79 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)

bauxite, refined petroleum, aluminum, rum, fruits, nuts (2019)

United States 32%, Netherlands 11%, Germany 9%, Canada 7%, Iceland 7% (2019)

1 April - 31 March

$15.847 billion (2019 est.)

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.)

35 (2016) 38 (2015)

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

$8.25 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.) $7.89 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)

refined petroleum, cars, crude petroleum, natural gas, packaged medicines (2019)

United States 43%, China 11% (2019)

0.9% (2017 est.)

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

3.9% (2019 est.) 3.7% (2018 est.) 4.3% (2017 est.)

1.113 million (2020 est.)

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

17.1% (2016 est.)

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

$25.89 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.) $28.83 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.) $28.57 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars

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

$8,700 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.) $9,800 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.) $9,700 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars

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

29.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

7.72% (2019 est.) 9.13% (2018 est.)

total: 20.6% male: 16.8% female: 25.4% (2019 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: 99% (2019) electrification - urban areas: 100% (2019) electrification - rural areas: 97% (2019)

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.)

particulate matter emissions: 13.25 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.) carbon dioxide emissions: 8.23 megatons (2016 est.) methane emissions: 1.08 megatons (2020 est.)

tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior

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

agricultural land: 41.4% (2018 est.) arable land: 11.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 9.2% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 21.1% (2018 est.) forest: 31.1% (2018 est.) other: 27.5% (2018 est.)

coal revenues: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

forest revenues: 0.15% of GDP (2018 est.)

10.823 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

municipal: 140 million cubic meters (2017 est.) industrial: 1.1 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) agricultural: 114 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

urban population: 56.7% of total population (2021) rate of urbanization: 0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually: 1,051,695 tons (2016 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

tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior

1,022 km

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

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)

total: 0 km

agricultural land: 41.4% (2018 est.) arable land: 11.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 9.2% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 21.1% (2018 est.) forest: 31.1% (2018 est.) other: 27.5% (2018 est.)

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

Central America and the Caribbean

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 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 (r. 1689-1702)

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

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 (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Scott FEEKEN (since 9 August 2021) embassy: 142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6 mailing address: 3210 Kingston Place, Washington DC 20521-3210 telephone: (876) 702-6000 (2018) FAX: (876) 702-6348 (2018) email address and website: KingstonACS@state.gov https://jm.usembassy.gov/

chief of mission: 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 email address and website: firstsec@jamaicaembassy.org http://www.embassyofjamaica.org/ 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; 13 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister and 8 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the opposition party leader; members serve 5-year terms (no term limits) 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 (no term limits) or until Parliament is dissolved) elections: Senate - last full slate of appointments on 10 March 2016 (next full slate early on 3 September 2020, following dissolution in mid-August) House of Representatives - last held on 3 September 2020 (next to be held in 2025) election results: Senate - percent by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition (as of June 2021) - men 13, women 8, percent of women 38.1% House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - JLP 57%, PNP 42.8%, independent 0.2%; seats by party - JLP 48, PNP 15; composition (as of June 2021) - men 45, women 18; percent of women 28.6%; note - total Parliament percent of women 31%

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.

as of 2021, the JDF s primary missions were maritime/border and internal security, including support to police operations to combat crime and violence

Jamaica Defense Force (JDF): Jamaica Regiment (Ground Forces), Maritime-Air-Cyber Command (includes Coast Guard, Air Wing, Military Intelligence Unit, Special Activities Regiment, and Military Cyber Corps), Support Brigade (logistics, engineers, health service, and military police); Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) (2021) note - both the JDF and JCF are under the Ministry of National Security

information varies; approximately 4,000 total active personnel (2021)

the Jamaica Defense Force is lightly armed with a limited inventory featuring mostly older equipment imported from a variety of foreign suppliers, primarily the UK and US (2021)

1.7% of GDP (2020 est.) 1.6% of GDP (2019) 1.3% of GDP (2018) 1% of GDP (2017) 0.9% of GDP (2016)

no conscription; 18-23 for voluntary military service (17 with parental consent; 18-28 for the reserves); since 2017, the JDF's standard mode of recruitment is to enroll recruits ages 18-23 through the Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC); in the JNSC, soldiers receive basic military, vocational, and life skills training; upon completion of 1-year of service, soldiers can continue on with JDF or seek other opportunities with law enforcement (2021)

0-14 years: 25.2% (male 360,199/female 347,436) 15-24 years: 17.95% (male 255,102/female 248,927) 25-54 years: 38.06% (male 518,583/female 550,410) 55-64 years: 9.63% (male 133,890/female 136,442) 65 years and over: 9.17% (male 121,969/female 135,612) (2020 est.)

16.03 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

4.4% (2016)

NA

6.1% (2018)

7.42 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio: 48 youth dependency ratio: 34.6 elderly dependency ratio: 13.4 potential support ratio: 7.4 (2020 est.)

improved: urban: 98.5% of population rural: 93% of population total: 96% of population unimproved: urban: 1.5% of population rural: 7% of population total: 4% of population (2017 est.)

5.4% of GDP (2020)

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

1.4% (2020 est.)

<1,000 (2020 est.)

32,000 (2020 est.)

1.7 beds/1,000 population (2017)

total: 11.42 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.72 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)

English, English patois

total population: 75.49 years male: 73.71 years female: 77.35 years (2021 est.)

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

592,000 KINGSTON (capital) (2021)

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

total: 29.4 years male: 28.6 years female: 30.1 years (2020 est.)

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

noun: Jamaican(s) adjective: Jamaican

-7.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

24.7% (2016)

1.31 physicians/1,000 population (2017)

2,816,602 (July 2021 est.)

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

0.06% (2021 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: 98.5% of population rural: 99.5% of population total: 99% of population unimproved: urban: 1.5% of population rural: 0.5% of population total: 1% of population (2017 est.)

total: 12 years male: 11 years female: 13 years (2015)

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: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

2.06 children born/woman (2021 est.)

total: 20.6% male: 16.8% female: 25.4% (2019 est.)

urban population: 56.7% of total population (2021) rate of urbanization: 0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

none

the largest Caribbean source of marijuana which is trafficked to other Caribbean countries for illegal weapons and other contraband; transit point for cocaine trafficked from South America to North America and other international markets

total: 28 (2013)

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

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

6Y

total: 43 by type: bulk carrier 1, container ship 5, general cargo 9, oil tanker 1, other 27 (2021)

number of registered air carriers: 0 (2020)

major seaport(s): Discovery Bay (Port Rhoades), Kingston, Montego Bay, Port Antonio, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Rocky Point container port(s) (TEUs): Kingston (1,647,609) (2019)

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