factbook.json/central-america-n-caribbean/jm.json

{
  "Introduction": {
    "Background": {
      "text": "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": {
    "Location": {
      "text": "Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba"
    },
    "Geographic coordinates": {
      "text": "18 15 N, 77 30 W"
    },
    "Map references": {
      "text": "Central America and the Caribbean"
    },
    "Area": {
      "total": {
        "text": "10,991 sq km"
      },
      "land": {
        "text": "10,831 sq km"
      },
      "water": {
        "text": "160 sq km"
      }
    },
    "Area - comparative": {
      "text": "about half the size of New Jersey; slightly smaller than Connecticut"
    },
    "Land boundaries": {
      "total": {
        "text": "0 km"
      }
    },
    "Coastline": {
      "text": "1,022 km"
    },
    "Maritime claims": {
      "territorial sea": {
        "text": "12 nm"
      },
      "contiguous zone": {
        "text": "24 nm"
      },
      "exclusive economic zone": {
        "text": "200 nm"
      },
      "continental shelf": {
        "text": "200 nm or to edge of the continental margin"
      },
      "note": "<br><br>measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines"
    },
    "Climate": {
      "text": "tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior"
    },
    "Terrain": {
      "text": "mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain"
    },
    "Elevation": {
      "mean elevation": {
        "text": "18 m"
      },
      "lowest point": {
        "text": "Caribbean Sea 0 m"
      },
      "highest point": {
        "text": "Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m"
      }
    },
    "Natural resources": {
      "text": "bauxite, alumina, gypsum, limestone"
    },
    "Land use": {
      "agricultural land": {
        "text": "41.4% (2011 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: arable land": {
        "text": "arable land: 11.1% (2011 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent crops": {
        "text": "permanent crops: 9.2% (2011 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent pasture": {
        "text": "permanent pasture: 21.1% (2011 est.)"
      },
      "forest": {
        "text": "31.1% (2011 est.)"
      },
      "other": {
        "text": "27.5% (2011 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Irrigated land": {
      "text": "250 sq km (2012)"
    },
    "Population distribution": {
      "text": "population density is high throughout, but increases in and around Kingston, Montego Bay, and Port Esquivel"
    },
    "Natural hazards": {
      "text": "hurricanes (especially July to November)"
    },
    "Environment - current issues": {
      "text": "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": {
        "text": "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": {
        "text": "none of the selected agreements"
      }
    },
    "Geography - note": {
      "text": "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"
    }
  },
  "People and Society": {
    "Population": {
      "text": "2,816,602 (July 2021 est.)"
    },
    "Nationality": {
      "noun": {
        "text": "Jamaican(s)"
      },
      "adjective": {
        "text": "Jamaican"
      }
    },
    "Ethnic groups": {
      "text": "Black 92.1%, mixed 6.1%, East Indian 0.8%, other 0.4%, unspecified 0.7% (2011 est.)"
    },
    "Languages": {
      "text": "English, English patois"
    },
    "Religions": {
      "text": "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.)"
    },
    "Age structure": {
      "0-14 years": {
        "text": "25.2% (male 360,199/female 347,436)"
      },
      "15-24 years": {
        "text": "17.95% (male 255,102/female 248,927)"
      },
      "25-54 years": {
        "text": "38.06% (male 518,583/female 550,410)"
      },
      "55-64 years": {
        "text": "9.63% (male 133,890/female 136,442)"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "9.17% (male 121,969/female 135,612) (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Dependency ratios": {
      "total dependency ratio": {
        "text": "48"
      },
      "youth dependency ratio": {
        "text": "34.6"
      },
      "elderly dependency ratio": {
        "text": "13.4"
      },
      "potential support ratio": {
        "text": "7.4 (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Median age": {
      "total": {
        "text": "29.4 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "28.6 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "30.1 years (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Population growth rate": {
      "text": "0.06% (2021 est.)"
    },
    "Birth rate": {
      "text": "16.03 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)"
    },
    "Death rate": {
      "text": "7.42 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)"
    },
    "Net migration rate": {
      "text": "-7.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)"
    },
    "Population distribution": {
      "text": "population density is high throughout, but increases in and around Kingston, Montego Bay, and Port Esquivel"
    },
    "Urbanization": {
      "urban population": {
        "text": "56.3% of total population (2020)"
      },
      "rate of urbanization": {
        "text": "0.82% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Major urban areas - population": {
      "text": "591,000 KINGSTON (capital) (2020)"
    },
    "Sex ratio": {
      "at birth": {
        "text": "1.05 male(s)/female"
      },
      "0-14 years": {
        "text": "1.04 male(s)/female"
      },
      "15-24 years": {
        "text": "1.02 male(s)/female"
      },
      "25-54 years": {
        "text": "0.94 male(s)/female"
      },
      "55-64 years": {
        "text": "0.98 male(s)/female"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "0.9 male(s)/female"
      },
      "total population": {
        "text": "0.98 male(s)/female (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Mother's mean age at first birth": {
      "text": "21.2 years (2008 est.)",
      "note": "<p><strong>note:</strong> median age at first birth among women 25-29</p>"
    },
    "Maternal mortality rate": {
      "text": "80 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)"
    },
    "Infant mortality rate": {
      "total": {
        "text": "11.42 deaths/1,000 live births"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "12.72 deaths/1,000 live births"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "10.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Life expectancy at birth": {
      "total population": {
        "text": "75.49 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "73.71 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "77.35 years (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Total fertility rate": {
      "text": "2.06 children born/woman (2021 est.)"
    },
    "Drinking water source": {
      "improved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 98.5% of population"
      },
      "improved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 93% of population"
      },
      "improved: total": {
        "text": "total: 96% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 1.5% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 7% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: total": {
        "text": "total: 4% of population (2017 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Current Health Expenditure": {
      "text": "6% (2017)"
    },
    "Physicians density": {
      "text": "1.31 physicians/1,000 population (2017)"
    },
    "Hospital bed density": {
      "text": "1.7 beds/1,000 population (2017)"
    },
    "Sanitation facility access": {
      "improved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 98.5% of population"
      },
      "improved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 99.5% of population"
      },
      "improved: total": {
        "text": "total: 99% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 1.5% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 0.5% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: total": {
        "text": "total: 1% of population (2017 est.)"
      }
    },
    "HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate": {
      "text": "1.4% (2019 est.)"
    },
    "HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS": {
      "text": "32,000 (2019 est.)"
    },
    "HIV/AIDS - deaths": {
      "text": "1,000 (2019 est.)"
    },
    "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": {
      "text": "24.7% (2016)"
    },
    "Children under the age of 5 years underweight": {
      "text": "2.2% (2014)"
    },
    "Education expenditures": {
      "text": "5.2% of GDP (2019)"
    },
    "Literacy": {
      "definition": {
        "text": "age 15 and over has ever attended school"
      },
      "total population": {
        "text": "88.7%"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "84%"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "93.1% (2015)"
      }
    },
    "School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)": {
      "total": {
        "text": "12 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "11 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "13 years (2015)"
      }
    },
    "Unemployment, youth ages 15-24": {
      "total": {
        "text": "24.2%"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "20%"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "29.3% (2018 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Government": {
    "Country name": {
      "conventional long form": {
        "text": "none"
      },
      "conventional short form": {
        "text": "Jamaica"
      },
      "etymology": {
        "text": "from the native Taino word \"haymaca\" meaning \"Land of Wood and Water\" or possibly \"Land of Springs\""
      }
    },
    "Government type": {
      "text": "parliamentary democracy (Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm"
    },
    "Capital": {
      "name": {
        "text": "Kingston"
      },
      "geographic coordinates": {
        "text": "18 00 N, 76 48 W"
      },
      "time difference": {
        "text": "UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)"
      },
      "note": "<br><br><strong>etymology:</strong> 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)"
    },
    "Administrative divisions": {
      "text": "14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland",
      "note": "<p><strong>note:</strong> 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</p>"
    },
    "Independence": {
      "text": "6 August 1962 (from the UK)"
    },
    "National holiday": {
      "text": "Independence Day, 6 August (1962)"
    },
    "Constitution": {
      "history": {
        "text": "several previous (preindependence); latest drafted 1961-62, submitted to British Parliament 24 July 1962, entered into force 6 August 1962 (at independence)"
      },
      "amendments": {
        "text": "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"
      }
    },
    "Legal system": {
      "text": "common law system based on the English model"
    },
    "International law organization participation": {
      "text": "has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt"
    },
    "Citizenship": {
      "citizenship by birth": {
        "text": "yes"
      },
      "citizenship by descent only": {
        "text": "yes"
      },
      "dual citizenship recognized": {
        "text": "yes"
      },
      "residency requirement for naturalization": {
        "text": "4 out of the previous 5 years"
      }
    },
    "Suffrage": {
      "text": "18 years of age; universal"
    },
    "Executive branch": {
      "chief of state": {
        "text": "Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Sir Patrick L. ALLEN (since 26 February 2009)"
      },
      "head of government": {
        "text": "&nbsp;Prime Minister Andrew HOLNESS (since 3 March 2016)&nbsp;"
      },
      "cabinet": {
        "text": "Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister"
      },
      "elections/appointments": {
        "text": "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"
      }
    },
    "Legislative branch": {
      "description": {
        "text": "bicameral Parliament consists of:<br />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 to the opposition party; members serve 5-year terms or until Parliament is dissolved)<br />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": {
        "text": "Senate - last full slate of appointments on 10 March 2016 (next full slate early on 3 September 2020, following dissolution in mid-August)<br />House of Representatives - last held on 3 September 2020 (next to be held in 2025)"
      },
      "election results": {
        "text": "Senate - percent by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 16, women 5, percent of women 23.8%<br />House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - JLP 57%, PNP 42.8%, independent 0.2%; seats by party - JLP 48, PNP 15; composition - men 45, women 18; percent of women 28.6%; note - total Parliament percent of women 27.4%"
      }
    },
    "Judicial branch": {
      "highest courts": {
        "text": "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": {
        "text": "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": {
        "text": "resident magistrate courts, district courts, and petty sessions courts"
      }
    },
    "Political parties and leaders": {
      "text": "Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Andrew Michael HOLNESS]<br />People's National Party or PNP [Dr. Peter David PHILLIPS]<br />National Democratic Movement or NDM [Peter TOWNSEND]"
    },
    "International organization participation": {
      "text": "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"
    },
    "Diplomatic representation in the US": {
      "chief of mission": {
        "text": "Ambassador Audrey Patrice MARKS (since 18 January 2017)"
      },
      "chancery": {
        "text": "1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036"
      },
      "telephone": {
        "text": "[1] (202) 452-0660"
      },
      "FAX": {
        "text": "[1] (202) 452-0036"
      },
      "consulate(s) general": {
        "text": "Miami, New York"
      },
      "consulate(s)": {
        "text": "Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Concord (MA), Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Richmond (VA), San Francisco, Seattle"
      }
    },
    "Diplomatic representation from the US": {
      "chief of mission": {
        "text": "Ambassador Donald R. TAPIA (since 11 September 2019)"
      },
      "telephone": {
        "text": "[1] (876) 702-6000 (2018)"
      },
      "embassy": {
        "text": "142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6"
      },
      "mailing address": {
        "text": "P.O. Box 541, Kingston 5"
      },
      "FAX": {
        "text": "[1] (876) 702-6001 (2018)"
      }
    },
    "Flag description": {
      "text": "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"
    },
    "National symbol(s)": {
      "text": "green-and-black streamertail (bird), Guaiacum officinale (Guaiacwood); national colors: green, yellow, black"
    },
    "National anthem": {
      "name": {
        "text": "Jamaica, Land We Love"
      },
      "lyrics/music": {
        "text": "Hugh Braham SHERLOCK/Robert Charles LIGHTBOURNE"
      },
      "note": "<p><strong>note:</strong> adopted 1962</p>"
    }
  },
  "Economy": {
    "Economic overview": {
      "text": "<p>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.</p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p>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.</p>"
    },
    "Real GDP growth rate": {
      "Real GDP growth rate 2017": {
        "text": "0.7% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP growth rate 2016": {
        "text": "1.5% (2016 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP growth rate 2015": {
        "text": "0.9% (2015 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": {
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019": {
        "text": "3.9% (2019 est.)"
      },
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018": {
        "text": "3.7% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017": {
        "text": "4.3% (2017 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Credit ratings": {
      "Fitch rating": {
        "text": "B+ (2019)"
      },
      "Moody's rating": {
        "text": "B2 (2019)"
      },
      "Standard & Poors rating": {
        "text": "B+ (2019)"
      }
    },
    "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": {
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019": {
        "text": "$28.779 billion (2019 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018": {
        "text": "$28.579 billion (2018 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2017": {
        "text": "$28.035 billion (2017 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<p><strong>note:</strong> data are in 2017 dollars</p>"
    },
    "GDP (official exchange rate)": {
      "text": "$15.847 billion (2019 est.)"
    },
    "Real GDP per capita": {
      "Real GDP per capita 2019": {
        "text": "$9,762 (2019 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP per capita 2018": {
        "text": "$9,738 (2018 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP per capita 2017": {
        "text": "$9,598 (2017 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<p><strong>note:</strong> data are in 2017 dollars</p>"
    },
    "Gross national saving": {
      "Gross national saving 2017": {
        "text": "18.3% of GDP (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Gross national saving 2016": {
        "text": "20.6% of GDP (2016 est.)"
      },
      "Gross national saving 2015": {
        "text": "18% of GDP (2015 est.)"
      }
    },
    "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": {
      "agriculture": {
        "text": "7% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "industry": {
        "text": "21.1% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "services": {
        "text": "71.9% (2017 est.)"
      }
    },
    "GDP - composition, by end use": {
      "household consumption": {
        "text": "81.9% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "government consumption": {
        "text": "13.7% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "investment in fixed capital": {
        "text": "21.3% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "investment in inventories": {
        "text": "0.1% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "exports of goods and services": {
        "text": "30.1% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "imports of goods and services": {
        "text": "-47.1% (2017 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Ease of Doing Business Index scores": {
      "Overall Ease of Doing Business score 2020": {
        "text": "97.4 (2020)"
      }
    },
    "Agricultural products": {
      "text": "sugar cane, goat milk, yams, poultry, coconuts, oranges, bananas, gourds, plantains, grapefruit"
    },
    "Industries": {
      "text": "agriculture, mining, manufacture, construction, financial and insurance services, tourism, telecommunications"
    },
    "Industrial production growth rate": {
      "text": "0.9% (2017 est.)"
    },
    "Labor force": {
      "text": "1.113 million (2020 est.)"
    },
    "Labor force - by occupation": {
      "agriculture": {
        "text": "16.1%"
      },
      "industry": {
        "text": "16%"
      },
      "services": {
        "text": "67.9% (2017)"
      }
    },
    "Unemployment rate": {
      "Unemployment rate 2019": {
        "text": "7.72% (2019 est.)"
      },
      "Unemployment rate 2018": {
        "text": "9.13% (2018 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Population below poverty line": {
      "text": "17.1% (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income": {
      "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2016": {
        "text": "35 (2016)"
      },
      "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2015": {
        "text": "38 (2015)"
      }
    },
    "Household income or consumption by percentage share": {
      "lowest 10%": {
        "text": "2.6%"
      },
      "highest 10%": {
        "text": "29.3% (2015)"
      }
    },
    "Budget": {
      "revenues": {
        "text": "4.382 billion (2017 est.)"
      },
      "expenditures": {
        "text": "4.314 billion (2017 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Taxes and other revenues": {
      "text": "29.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)"
    },
    "Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)": {
      "text": "0.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)"
    },
    "Public debt": {
      "Public debt 2017": {
        "text": "101% of GDP (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Public debt 2016": {
        "text": "113.6% of GDP (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Fiscal year": {
      "text": "1 April - 31 March"
    },
    "Current account balance": {
      "Current account balance 2019": {
        "text": "-$298 million (2019 est.)"
      },
      "Current account balance 2018": {
        "text": "-$288 million (2018 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Exports": {
      "Exports 2018": {
        "text": "$5.114 billion (2018 est.)"
      },
      "Exports 2017": {
        "text": "$4.747 billion (2017 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Exports - partners": {
      "text": "US 39.1%, Netherlands 12.3%, Canada 8.4% (2017)"
    },
    "Exports - commodities": {
      "text": "alumina, bauxite, chemicals, coffee, mineral fuels, waste and scrap metals, sugar, yams"
    },
    "Imports": {
      "Imports 2018": {
        "text": "$7.314 billion (2018 est.)"
      },
      "Imports 2017": {
        "text": "$6.924 billion (2017 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Imports - partners": {
      "text": "US 40.6%, Colombia 6.8%, Japan 5.8%, China 5.8%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.7% (2017)"
    },
    "Imports - commodities": {
      "text": "food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials"
    },
    "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold": {
      "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017": {
        "text": "$3.781 billion (31 December 2017 est.)"
      },
      "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2016": {
        "text": "$2.719 billion (31 December 2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Debt - external": {
      "Debt - external 31 December 2017": {
        "text": "$14.94 billion (31 December 2017 est.)"
      },
      "Debt - external 31 December 2016": {
        "text": "$10.24 billion (31 December 2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Exchange rates": {
      "currency": {
        "text": "Jamaican dollars (JMD) per US dollar -"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2017": {
        "text": "128.36 (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2016": {
        "text": "125.14 (2016 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2015": {
        "text": "125.126 (2015 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2014": {
        "text": "116.898 (2014 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2013": {
        "text": "110.935 (2013 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Energy": {
    "Electricity access": {
      "electrification - total population": {
        "text": "99% (2019)"
      },
      "electrification - urban areas": {
        "text": "100% (2019)"
      },
      "electrification - rural areas": {
        "text": "97% (2019)"
      }
    },
    "Electricity - production": {
      "text": "4.007 billion kWh (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - consumption": {
      "text": "2.847 billion kWh (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - exports": {
      "text": "0 kWh (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - imports": {
      "text": "0 kWh (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - installed generating capacity": {
      "text": "1.078 million kW (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - from fossil fuels": {
      "text": "83% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - from nuclear fuels": {
      "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - from hydroelectric plants": {
      "text": "3% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - from other renewable sources": {
      "text": "15% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)"
    },
    "Crude oil - production": {
      "text": "0 bbl/day (2018 est.)"
    },
    "Crude oil - exports": {
      "text": "0 bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Crude oil - imports": {
      "text": "24,360 bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Crude oil - proved reserves": {
      "text": "0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - production": {
      "text": "24,250 bbl/day (2017 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - consumption": {
      "text": "55,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - exports": {
      "text": "823 bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - imports": {
      "text": "30,580 bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - production": {
      "text": "0 cu m (2017 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - consumption": {
      "text": "198.2 million cu m (2017 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - exports": {
      "text": "0 cu m (2017 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - imports": {
      "text": "198.2 million cu m (2017 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - proved reserves": {
      "text": "0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)"
    },
    "Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy": {
      "text": "8.9 million Mt (2017 est.)"
    }
  },
  "Communications": {
    "Telephones - fixed lines": {
      "total subscriptions": {
        "text": "379,420"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "13.5 (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Telephones - mobile cellular": {
      "total subscriptions": {
        "text": "2,882,469"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "102.56 (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Telecommunication systems": {
      "general assessment": {
        "text": "good domestic and international service; mobile sector dominates, accounting for 82% of the Internet connections; extensive LTE networks providing coverage to 90% of the island population (2020)"
      },
      "domestic": {
        "text": "while the number of fixed-lines, 14 per 100, subscriptions has declined, cellular-mobile has grown 103 per 100 subscriptions (2019)"
      },
      "international": {
        "text": "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": "<br><br><strong>note:</strong> the COVID-19 outbreak is negatively impacting telecommunications production and supply chains globally; consumer spending on telecom devices and services has also slowed due to the pandemic's effect on economies worldwide; overall progress towards improvements in all facets of the telecom industry - mobile, fixed-line, broadband, submarine cable and satellite - has moderated"
    },
    "Broadcast media": {
      "text": "3 free-to-air TV stations, subscription cable services, and roughly 30 radio stations (2019)"
    },
    "Internet country code": {
      "text": ".jm"
    },
    "Internet users": {
      "total": {
        "text": "1,548,618"
      },
      "percent of population": {
        "text": "55.07% (July 2018 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Broadband - fixed subscriptions": {
      "total": {
        "text": "284,756"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "10 (2018 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Transportation": {
    "National air transport system": {
      "number of registered air carriers": {
        "text": "0 (2020)"
      }
    },
    "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix": {
      "text": "6Y (2016)"
    },
    "Airports": {
      "total": {
        "text": "28 (2013)"
      }
    },
    "Airports - with paved runways": {
      "total": {
        "text": "11 (2017)"
      },
      "2,438 to 3,047 m": {
        "text": "2 (2017)"
      },
      "914 to 1,523 m": {
        "text": "4 (2017)"
      },
      "under 914 m": {
        "text": "5 (2017)"
      }
    },
    "Airports - with unpaved runways": {
      "total": {
        "text": "17 (2013)"
      },
      "914 to 1,523 m": {
        "text": "1 (2013)"
      },
      "under 914 m": {
        "text": "16 (2013)"
      }
    },
    "Roadways": {
      "total": {
        "text": "22,121 km (includes 44 km of expressways) (2011)"
      },
      "paved": {
        "text": "16,148 km (2011)"
      },
      "unpaved": {
        "text": "5,973 km (2011)"
      }
    },
    "Merchant marine": {
      "total": {
        "text": "46"
      },
      "by type": {
        "text": "bulk carrier 1, container ship 7, general cargo 8, oil tanker 1, other 29 (2020)"
      }
    },
    "Ports and terminals": {
      "major seaport(s)": {
        "text": "Discovery Bay (Port Rhoades), Kingston, Montego Bay, Port Antonio, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Rocky Point"
      },
      "container port(s) (TEUs)": {
        "text": "Kingston (1,681,706) (2017)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Military and Security": {
    "Military and security forces": {
      "text": "Jamaica Defense Force (JDF): Jamaica Regiment (Ground Forces), Maritime-Air-Cyber Command (2020)"
    },
    "Military expenditures": {
      "Military Expenditures 2019": {
        "text": "1.6% of GDP (2019)"
      },
      "Military Expenditures 2018": {
        "text": "1.3% of GDP (2018)"
      },
      "Military Expenditures 2017": {
        "text": "1% of GDP (2017)"
      },
      "Military Expenditures 2016": {
        "text": "1% of GDP (2016)"
      },
      "Military Expenditures 2015": {
        "text": "1% of GDP (2015)"
      }
    },
    "Military and security service personnel strengths": {
      "text": "assessments of the size of the the Jamaica Defense Forces vary; approximately 3,500 active personnel (3,000 Ground Forces; 300 Coast Guard; 200 Air Wing) (2019)"
    },
    "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": {
      "text": "the Jamaica Defense Force's inventory is limited and features mostly older equipment imported from a variety of foreign suppliers, including the UK and US; since 2010, Jamaica has received limited quantities of military equipment from Australia, Austria, the Netherlands, and the US (2019 est.)"
    },
    "Military service age and obligation": {
      "text": "17 1/2 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)"
    }
  },
  "Transnational Issues": {
    "Disputes - international": {
      "text": "<p>none</p>"
    },
    "Trafficking in persons": {
      "current situation": {
        "text": "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": {
        "text": "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)"
      }
    },
    "Illicit drugs": {
      "text": "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"
    }
  }
}