Page last amended 20 August 2023
118) Jamaica
Community
Area 10,991 square kilometres (land area 10,831 square kilometres)
Population,�
47,000 (1694)
379,690 (1850)
441,255 (1861)
506,254 (1871)
580,804 (1881)
639,491 (1891)
796,500 (1904)
1,249,871 (1943)
1,385,000 (1950)
1,630,000 (1960) +17.7%
1,875,000 (1970) +15.0%
2,165,000 (1980) +15.4%
2,425,000 (1990) +12.0%
2,660,000 (2000) +9.7%
2,820,000 (2010) +6.0%
2,961,000 (2020) +5.0%
Ethnicity, %
|
|
Afro- Caribbean |
Chinese |
European |
Indian (Asian) |
Mixed Race |
|
1694 |
85.0% |
|
15.0% |
|
|
|
1861 |
|
|
3.0% |
|
|
|
1881 |
|
|
2.8% |
|
|
|
1939 |
|
|
|
2.3% |
|
|
1943 |
77.7% |
0.5% |
1.2% |
1.7% |
18.6% |
|
1980 |
76.3% |
|
|
|
|
|
1984 |
76.0% |
|
|
|
|
|
2009 |
90.9% |
0.2% |
0.2% |
1.3% |
7.3% |
|
2011 |
92.1% |
|
|
0.8% |
6.1% |
Religion, %
|
|
Animist |
Christian All |
Anglican |
Baptist |
Presbyterian |
Roman Catholic |
|
1900 |
5.0 |
94.4 |
49.0 |
|
|
2.0 |
|
1943 |
|
|
28.3 |
|
7.5 |
5.7 |
|
1960 |
|
|
19.8 |
19.0 |
5.2 |
7.1 |
|
1970 |
6.9 |
91.3 |
18.0 |
|
|
8.6 |
Birth and death rates, Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1943 |
|
31.5 (+17.4) |
|
14.1 |
|
|
|
|
1952 |
|
35.0 (+23.0) |
85.0 |
12.0 |
36.0 |
3.9 |
22.8 |
|
1960 |
5.4 |
42.4 (+33.4) |
61.8 |
9.0 |
41.5 |
4.3 |
33.8 |
|
1970 |
5.5 |
35.5 (+27.8) |
44.6 |
7.7 |
46.2 |
5.6 |
41.3 |
|
1980 |
3.6 |
29.0 (+22.6) |
32.6 |
6.4 |
39.7 |
6.8 |
46.7 |
|
1990 |
2.9 |
25.0 (+18.0) |
25.2 |
7.0 |
34.8 |
7.4 |
49.4 |
|
2000 |
2.6 |
21.0 (+13.8) |
18.8 |
7.2 |
32.1 |
7.9 |
51.8 |
|
2010 |
2.2 |
17.8 (+10.9) |
15.6 |
6.9 |
27.0 |
8.2 |
53.7 |
|
2015 |
2.0 |
16.8 (+9.9) |
13.6 |
6.9 |
24.6 |
8.5 |
54.8 |
|
2017 |
2.0 |
16.3 (+9.3) |
12.8 |
7.0 |
|
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
12.4 |
|
23.8 |
8.8 |
55.7 |
Life expectancy,
57.2 (1952); 56.0 (M), 59.0 (F)
64.3 (1960); 62.7, (M) 66.0 (F)
68.2 (1970); 66.8 (M), 69.8 (F)
71.4 (1980); 69.9 (M), 73.1 (F)
72.0 (1990); 69.9 (M), 74.3 (F)
72.3 (2000); 69.6 (M), 75.2 (F)
74.8 (2010); 72.4 (M), 77.4 (F)
76.1 (2020); 73.7 (M), 78.5 (F)
Population of principal cities, 1,000s
|
|
KINGSTON1 |
Montego Bay |
Portmore |
Spanish Town |
|
1850 |
32 |
|
|
|
|
1900 |
47 |
5 |
|
5 |
|
1943 |
203 |
12 |
|
12 |
|
1950 |
260 |
|
|
|
|
1960 |
377 |
23 |
|
14 |
|
1970 |
560 |
|
|
|
|
1980 |
|
68 |
|
85 |
|
1990 |
588 |
82 |
90 |
90 |
|
2000 |
660 |
95 |
155 |
126 |
|
2011 |
662 |
110 |
685 |
165 |
1Kingston was founded 1693, after the older nearby city of Port Royal was destroyed in an earthquake.� Kingston replaced Spanish Town as capital in 1872
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values), Tourism accounted for around 10% of GDP (2010)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1948 |
262 |
0.12 |
201 |
13.18 |
|
1960 |
699 |
0.13 |
430 |
14.30 |
|
1965 |
972 |
0.13 |
555 |
14.50 |
|
1970 |
1,404 |
0.14 |
750 |
14.29 |
|
1975 |
2,860 |
0.17 |
1,410 |
18.03 |
|
1980 |
2,680 |
0.10 |
1,240 |
9.84 |
|
1985 |
2,210 |
0.05 |
900 |
4.93 |
|
1990 |
4,610 |
0.08 |
1,900 |
7.93 |
|
1995 |
5,800 |
0.08 |
2,800 |
9.31 |
|
2000 |
8.580 |
0.00 |
3,360 |
9.22 |
|
2005 |
11,200 |
0.09 |
4,080 |
9.21 |
|
2010 |
13,192 |
0.09 |
4,700 |
9.72 |
|
2015 |
14,261 |
0.08 |
4,965 |
8.83 |
|
2016 |
14,027 |
0.08 |
4,870 |
8.47 |
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1960 |
|
39.0 |
|
25.0 |
|
36.0 |
|
1980 |
7.0 |
35.0 |
19.0 |
18.0 |
62.5 |
37.3 |
|
1990 |
7.0 |
26.0 |
29.8 |
24.0 |
|
|
|
2000 |
7.0 |
21.0 |
28.0 |
19.0 |
65.0 |
66.0 |
|
2010 |
5.7 |
17.0 |
29.7 |
19.0 |
64.6 |
64.0 |
|
2016 |
7.2 |
|
21.3 |
|
71.4 |
|
Communications
Language Official; English
Literacy
77.0% (1953)
79.5% (1985)
82.0% (1988)
85.0% (1995); 80.5% (M); 89.1% (F)
87.3% (2000); 83.4% (M), 91.0% (F)
88.7% (2015); 84.0% (M),
88.7% (2015); 84.0% (M), 93.1% (F)
Physical communications � roads
|
|
Roads (km) |
Surfaced (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
|
1938 |
11,100 |
7,396 |
|
|
|
|
1964 |
|
|
68,200 |
|
|
|
1980 |
16,350 |
|
|
41,163 |
17,394 |
|
1986 |
16,600 |
|
112,500 |
60,000 |
|
|
1995 |
|
|
135,059 |
86,791 |
22,000 |
|
1999 |
18,700 |
13,100 |
|
|
|
|
2002 |
18,746 |
13,136 |
|
197,500 |
56,000 |
|
2006 |
|
|
161,000 |
373,700 |
|
|
2010 |
21,552 |
|
173,000 |
|
|
|
2011 |
22,121 |
16,148 |
175,000 |
|
|
Railways; First railway 1845. Passenger services ceased in 1992; the rail system crippled by financial deficits and hurricane damage. Most industrial (bauxite) use has also ceased; a few private mineral lines remain.
Length, kilometres
24 (1850)
24 (1860)
43 (1870)
43 (1880)
106 (1900)
298 (1910)
319 (1920)
338 (1930)
338 (1940)
348 (1950)
450 (1960)
430 (1970)
303 (1980)
208 (1990)
0 (1993)
Electronic communications, TV broadcasting began 1963
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1939 |
|
|
6,000 |
|
|
|
|
1950 |
|
|
23,000 |
|
|
|
|
1960 |
34,087 |
|
147,000 |
|
|
|
|
1975 |
49,700 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1980 |
52,600 |
|
850,000 |
|
|
|
|
1982 |
|
|
|
190,000 |
|
|
|
1990 |
105,300 |
|
1,010,000 |
310,000 |
|
|
|
1991 |
|
2,447 |
|
|
|
|
|
1994 |
|
|
|
|
8,543 |
|
|
1995 |
|
45,100 |
1,080,000 |
400,000 |
12,939 |
|
|
2000 |
493,500 |
366,950 |
2,030,000 |
500,000 |
120,000 |
|
|
2002 |
|
|
|
|
|
660,000 |
|
2004 |
|
|
|
|
166,000 |
1,067,000 |
|
2005 |
|
2,700,000 |
|
536,000 |
|
|
|
2010 |
302,300 |
3,103,000 |
|
|
|
1,581,000 |
|
2012 |
265,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2016 |
310,213 |
3,267,350 |
|
|
|
|
Tourism: Visitors to Jamaica,
316,604 (1965)
345,288 (1966)
352,481 (1967)
432,987 (1974)
387,000 (1977)
543,088 (1980)
989,000 (1990)
1,147,000 (1995)
1,323,000 (2000)
1,479,000 (2005)
1,922,000 (2010)
2,123,000 (2015)