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

{
  "Introduction": {
    "Background": {
      "text": "Europeans first saw Jamaica when Christopher COLUMBUS arrived in 1494, and the Spanish settled the island early in the 16th century. The Native Taino, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually exterminated and replaced with 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 recurring 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, corruption, 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": "measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines"
    },
    "Climate": {
      "text": "tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior"
    },
    "Terrain": {
      "text": "mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain"
    },
    "Elevation": {
      "highest point": {
        "text": "Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m"
      },
      "lowest point": {
        "text": "Caribbean Sea 0 m"
      },
      "mean elevation": {
        "text": "18 m"
      }
    },
    "Natural resources": {
      "text": "bauxite, alumina, gypsum, limestone"
    },
    "Land use": {
      "agricultural land": {
        "text": "41.4% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: arable land": {
        "text": "arable land: 11.1% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent crops": {
        "text": "permanent crops: 9.2% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent pasture": {
        "text": "permanent pasture: 21.1% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "forest": {
        "text": "31.1% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "other": {
        "text": "27.5% (2018 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)"
    },
    "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": {
      "total": {
        "text": "2,823,713"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "1,397,495"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "1,426,218 (2024 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, Jamaican 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": "23.8% (male 342,691/female 329,773)"
      },
      "15-64 years": {
        "text": "65.7% (male 914,364/female 941,816)"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "10.4% (2024 est.) (male 140,440/female 154,629)"
      }
    },
    "Dependency ratios": {
      "total dependency ratio": {
        "text": "38"
      },
      "youth dependency ratio": {
        "text": "28"
      },
      "elderly dependency ratio": {
        "text": "13.4"
      },
      "potential support ratio": {
        "text": "7.4 (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Median age": {
      "total": {
        "text": "30.9 years (2024 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "30.1 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "31.7 years"
      }
    },
    "Population growth rate": {
      "text": "0.1% (2024 est.)"
    },
    "Birth rate": {
      "text": "15.6 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)"
    },
    "Death rate": {
      "text": "7.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)"
    },
    "Net migration rate": {
      "text": "-7.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)"
    },
    "Population distribution": {
      "text": "population density is high throughout, but increases in and around Kingston, Montego Bay, and Port Esquivel"
    },
    "Urbanization": {
      "urban population": {
        "text": "57.4% of total population (2023)"
      },
      "rate of urbanization": {
        "text": "0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Major urban areas - population": {
      "text": "597,000 KINGSTON (capital) (2023)"
    },
    "Sex ratio": {
      "at birth": {
        "text": "1.05 male(s)/female"
      },
      "0-14 years": {
        "text": "1.04 male(s)/female"
      },
      "15-64 years": {
        "text": "0.97 male(s)/female"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "0.91 male(s)/female"
      },
      "total population": {
        "text": "0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Mother's mean age at first birth": {
      "text": "21.2 years (2008 est.)",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29"
    },
    "Maternal mortality ratio": {
      "text": "99 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)"
    },
    "Infant mortality rate": {
      "total": {
        "text": "10.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "11.9 deaths/1,000 live births"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "9.4 deaths/1,000 live births"
      }
    },
    "Life expectancy at birth": {
      "total population": {
        "text": "76.3 years (2024 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "74.5 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "78.1 years"
      }
    },
    "Total fertility rate": {
      "text": "2.05 children born/woman (2024 est.)"
    },
    "Gross reproduction rate": {
      "text": "1 (2024 est.)"
    },
    "Contraceptive prevalence rate": {
      "text": "NA"
    },
    "Drinking water source": {
      "improved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 98.3% of population"
      },
      "improved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 93.9% of population"
      },
      "improved: total": {
        "text": "total: 96.4% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 1.7% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 6.1% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: total": {
        "text": "total: 3.6% of population (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Current health expenditure": {
      "text": "6.6% of GDP (2020)"
    },
    "Physician density": {
      "text": "0.53 physicians/1,000 population (2018)"
    },
    "Hospital bed density": {
      "text": "1.7 beds/1,000 population (2017)"
    },
    "Sanitation facility access": {
      "improved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 98.6% of population"
      },
      "improved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 99.4% of population"
      },
      "improved: total": {
        "text": "total: 98.9% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 1.4% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 0.6% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: total": {
        "text": "total: 1.1% of population (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": {
      "text": "24.7% (2016)"
    },
    "Alcohol consumption per capita": {
      "total": {
        "text": "3.46 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "beer": {
        "text": "1.19 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "wine": {
        "text": "0.25 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "spirits": {
        "text": "1.66 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "other alcohols": {
        "text": "0.35 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Tobacco use": {
      "total": {
        "text": "9.4% (2020 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "15% (2020 est.)"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "3.8% (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Children under the age of 5 years underweight": {
      "text": "2.5% (2018/19)"
    },
    "Currently married women (ages 15-49)": {
      "text": "32.7% (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Education expenditures": {
      "text": "6% of GDP (2021 est.)"
    },
    "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)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Environment": {
    "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, 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": {
        "text": "none of the selected agreements"
      }
    },
    "Climate": {
      "text": "tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior"
    },
    "Land use": {
      "agricultural land": {
        "text": "41.4% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: arable land": {
        "text": "arable land: 11.1% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent crops": {
        "text": "permanent crops: 9.2% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent pasture": {
        "text": "permanent pasture: 21.1% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "forest": {
        "text": "31.1% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "other": {
        "text": "27.5% (2018 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Urbanization": {
      "urban population": {
        "text": "57.4% of total population (2023)"
      },
      "rate of urbanization": {
        "text": "0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Revenue from forest resources": {
      "text": "0.15% of GDP (2018 est.)"
    },
    "Revenue from coal": {
      "text": "0% of GDP (2018 est.)"
    },
    "Air pollutants": {
      "particulate matter emissions": {
        "text": "14.83 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)"
      },
      "carbon dioxide emissions": {
        "text": "8.23 megatons (2016 est.)"
      },
      "methane emissions": {
        "text": "1.08 megatons (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Waste and recycling": {
      "municipal solid waste generated annually": {
        "text": "1,051,695 tons (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Total water withdrawal": {
      "municipal": {
        "text": "140 million cubic meters (2020 est.)"
      },
      "industrial": {
        "text": "1.1 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural": {
        "text": "110 million cubic meters (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Total renewable water resources": {
      "text": "10.82 billion cubic meters (2020 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)"
      },
      "etymology": {
        "text": "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": "<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"
    },
    "Independence": {
      "text": "6 August 1962 (from the UK)"
    },
    "National holiday": {
      "text": "Independence Day, 6 August (1962)"
    },
    "Legal system": {
      "text": "common law system based on the English model"
    },
    "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; note - in mid-July 2024, Jamaica’s Constitutional Reform Committee submitted its report on recommendations for reform of the constitution and awaiting debate in Parliament"
      }
    },
    "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": "King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Sir Patrick L. ALLEN (since 26 February 2009)"
      },
      "head of government": {
        "text": "Prime Minister Andrew HOLNESS (since 3 March 2016)"
      },
      "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"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> the Jamaican Government, in May 2023, announced plans to hold a referendum in 2024 to determine whether or not to remain in the Commonwealth or become a republic"
    },
    "Legislative branch": {
      "legislature name": {
        "text": "Parliament"
      },
      "legislative structure": {
        "text": "bicameral"
      }
    },
    "Legislative branch - lower chamber": {
      "chamber name": {
        "text": "House of Representatives"
      },
      "number of seats": {
        "text": "63 (all directly elected)"
      },
      "electoral system": {
        "text": "plurality/majority"
      },
      "scope of elections": {
        "text": "full renewal"
      },
      "term in office": {
        "text": "5 years"
      },
      "most recent election date": {
        "text": "9/3/2020"
      },
      "parties elected and seats per party": {
        "text": "Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) (49); People's National Party (PNP) (14)"
      },
      "percentage of women in chamber": {
        "text": "28.6%"
      },
      "expected date of next election": {
        "text": "September 2025"
      }
    },
    "Legislative branch - upper chamber": {
      "chamber name": {
        "text": "Senate"
      },
      "number of seats": {
        "text": "21 (all appointed)"
      },
      "scope of elections": {
        "text": "full renewal"
      },
      "term in office": {
        "text": "5 years"
      },
      "most recent election date": {
        "text": "9/15/2020"
      },
      "percentage of women in chamber": {
        "text": "40%"
      },
      "expected date of next election": {
        "text": "September 2025"
      }
    },
    "Judicial branch": {
      "highest court(s)": {
        "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": {
      "text": "<p>Jamaica Labor Party or JLP<br>Jamaica Progressive Party or JPP<br>People's National Party or PNP<br>United Independents' Congress or UIC</p>"
    },
    "International organization participation": {
      "text": "ACP, ACS, 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"
      },
      "email address and website": {
        "text": "<br>contactus@jamaicaembassy.org<br><br>Jamaican Embassy (embassyofjamaica.org)"
      },
      "consulate(s) general": {
        "text": "Miami, New York"
      }
    },
    "Diplomatic representation from the US": {
      "chief of mission": {
        "text": "Ambassador&nbsp;(vacant); Charg&eacute; d&rsquo;Affaires Amy TACHCO (since January 2025)"
      },
      "embassy": {
        "text": "142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6"
      },
      "mailing address": {
        "text": "3210 Kingston Place, Washington DC&nbsp; 20521-3210"
      },
      "telephone": {
        "text": "(876) 702-6000"
      },
      "FAX": {
        "text": "(876) 702-6348"
      },
      "email address and website": {
        "text": "<br>KingstonACS@state.gov<br><br>https://jm.usembassy.gov/"
      }
    },
    "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": "<strong>note:</strong> adopted 1962"
    },
    "National heritage": {
      "total World Heritage Sites": {
        "text": "1 (mixed)"
      },
      "selected World Heritage Site locales": {
        "text": "Blue and John Crow Mountains"
      }
    }
  },
  "Economy": {
    "Economic overview": {
      "text": "<p>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</p>"
    },
    "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": {
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023": {
        "text": "$29.225 billion (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022": {
        "text": "$28.596 billion (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021": {
        "text": "$27.177 billion (2021 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> data in 2021 dollars"
    },
    "Real GDP growth rate": {
      "Real GDP growth rate 2023": {
        "text": "2.2% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP growth rate 2022": {
        "text": "5.22% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP growth rate 2021": {
        "text": "4.6% (2021 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency"
    },
    "Real GDP per capita": {
      "Real GDP per capita 2023": {
        "text": "$10,300 (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP per capita 2022": {
        "text": "$10,100 (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP per capita 2021": {
        "text": "$9,600 (2021 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> data in 2021 dollars"
    },
    "GDP (official exchange rate)": {
      "text": "$19.423 billion (2023 est.)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> data in current dollars at official exchange rate"
    },
    "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": {
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023": {
        "text": "6.47% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022": {
        "text": "10.35% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021": {
        "text": "5.86% (2021 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> annual % change based on consumer prices"
    },
    "Credit ratings": {
      "Fitch rating": {
        "text": "B+ (2019)"
      },
      "Moody's rating": {
        "text": "B2 (2019)"
      },
      "Standard & Poors rating": {
        "text": "B+ (2019)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note: </strong>The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained."
    },
    "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": {
      "agriculture": {
        "text": "9% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "industry": {
        "text": "18.6% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "services": {
        "text": "60.1% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data"
    },
    "GDP - composition, by end use": {
      "household consumption": {
        "text": "76.2% (2019 est.)"
      },
      "government consumption": {
        "text": "13.6% (2019 est.)"
      },
      "investment in fixed capital": {
        "text": "24.1% (2019 est.)"
      },
      "investment in inventories": {
        "text": "0.2% (2019 est.)"
      },
      "exports of goods and services": {
        "text": "38% (2019 est.)"
      },
      "imports of goods and services": {
        "text": "-52.1% (2019 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection"
    },
    "Agricultural products": {
      "text": "sugarcane, yams, goat milk, chicken, coconuts, oranges, bananas, pumpkins/squash, plantains, sweet potatoes (2022)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> top ten agricultural products based on tonnage"
    },
    "Industries": {
      "text": "agriculture, mining, manufacture, construction, financial and insurance services, tourism, telecommunications"
    },
    "Industrial production growth rate": {
      "text": "4.98% (2023 est.)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency"
    },
    "Labor force": {
      "text": "1.573 million (2023 est.)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work"
    },
    "Unemployment rate": {
      "Unemployment rate 2023": {
        "text": "4.42% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Unemployment rate 2022": {
        "text": "4.08% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Unemployment rate 2021": {
        "text": "5.19% (2021 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> % of labor force seeking employment"
    },
    "Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)": {
      "total": {
        "text": "13.8% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "13.1% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "14.9% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment"
    },
    "Population below poverty line": {
      "text": "16.7% (2021 est.)"
    },
    "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income": {
      "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2021": {
        "text": "40.2 (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Household income or consumption by percentage share": {
      "lowest 10%": {
        "text": "2.2% (2021 est.)"
      },
      "highest 10%": {
        "text": "29.9% (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Remittances": {
      "Remittances 2023": {
        "text": "18.54% of GDP (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Remittances 2022": {
        "text": "21.57% of GDP (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Remittances 2021": {
        "text": "25.29% of GDP (2021 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities"
    },
    "Budget": {
      "revenues": {
        "text": "$4.041 billion (2020 est.)"
      },
      "expenditures": {
        "text": "$4.12 billion (2020 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated"
    },
    "Public debt": {
      "Public debt 2020": {
        "text": "106.28% of GDP (2020 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> central government debt as a % of GDP"
    },
    "Taxes and other revenues": {
      "text": "25.71% (of GDP) (2020 est.)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> central government tax revenue as a % of GDP"
    },
    "Current account balance": {
      "Current account balance 2023": {
        "text": "$583.407 million (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Current account balance 2022": {
        "text": "-$129.756 million (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Current account balance 2021": {
        "text": "$149.262 million (2021 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars"
    },
    "Exports": {
      "Exports 2023": {
        "text": "$7.275 billion (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Exports 2022": {
        "text": "$6.424 billion (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Exports 2021": {
        "text": "$4.401 billion (2021 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars"
    },
    "Exports - partners": {
      "text": "US 57%, Russia 5%, Canada 4%, UK 4%, Iceland 2% (2022)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> top five export partners based on percentage share of exports"
    },
    "Exports - commodities": {
      "text": "refined petroleum, natural gas, aluminum oxide, liquor, aluminum ore (2022)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> top five export commodities based on value in dollars"
    },
    "Imports": {
      "Imports 2023": {
        "text": "$9.866 billion (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Imports 2022": {
        "text": "$9.726 billion (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Imports 2021": {
        "text": "$7.405 billion (2021 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars"
    },
    "Imports - partners": {
      "text": "US 36%, China 12%, Trinidad and Tobago 6%, Brazil 5%, Turkey 4% (2022)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> top five import partners based on percentage share of imports"
    },
    "Imports - commodities": {
      "text": "refined petroleum, crude petroleum, natural gas, cars, plastic products (2022)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> top five import commodities based on value in dollars"
    },
    "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold": {
      "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023": {
        "text": "$4.869 billion (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022": {
        "text": "$4.52 billion (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021": {
        "text": "$4.838 billion (2021 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars"
    },
    "Debt - external": {
      "Debt - external 2023": {
        "text": "$9.776 billion (2023 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> present value of external debt in current US dollars"
    },
    "Exchange rates": {
      "Currency": {
        "text": "Jamaican dollars (JMD) per US dollar -"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2023": {
        "text": "154.159 (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2022": {
        "text": "153.427 (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2021": {
        "text": "150.79 (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2020": {
        "text": "142.403 (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2019": {
        "text": "133.312 (2019 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Energy": {
    "Electricity access": {
      "electrification - total population": {
        "text": "100% (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Electricity": {
      "installed generating capacity": {
        "text": "1.222 million kW (2022 est.)"
      },
      "consumption": {
        "text": "3.367 billion kWh (2022 est.)"
      },
      "transmission/distribution losses": {
        "text": "1.212 billion kWh (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Electricity generation sources": {
      "fossil fuels": {
        "text": "86.6% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)"
      },
      "solar": {
        "text": "3% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)"
      },
      "wind": {
        "text": "6.1% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)"
      },
      "hydroelectricity": {
        "text": "3.1% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)"
      },
      "biomass and waste": {
        "text": "1.2% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Coal": {
      "consumption": {
        "text": "65,000 metric tons (2022 est.)"
      },
      "exports": {
        "text": "100 metric tons (2022 est.)"
      },
      "imports": {
        "text": "65,000 metric tons (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Petroleum": {
      "total petroleum production": {
        "text": "3,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)"
      },
      "refined petroleum consumption": {
        "text": "49,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Natural gas": {
      "consumption": {
        "text": "664.834 million cubic meters (2022 est.)"
      },
      "imports": {
        "text": "664.834 million cubic meters (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Carbon dioxide emissions": {
      "total emissions": {
        "text": "8.86 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)"
      },
      "from coal and metallurgical coke": {
        "text": "147,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)"
      },
      "from petroleum and other liquids": {
        "text": "7.411 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)"
      },
      "from consumed natural gas": {
        "text": "1.302 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Energy consumption per capita": {
      "Total energy consumption per capita 2022": {
        "text": "46.586 million Btu/person (2022 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Communications": {
    "Telephones - fixed lines": {
      "total subscriptions": {
        "text": "459,000 (2023 est.)"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "16 (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Telephones - mobile cellular": {
      "total subscriptions": {
        "text": "3.27 million (2023 est.)"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "106 (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Telecommunication systems": {
      "general assessment": {
        "text": "Jamaica&rsquo;s telecom sector has for many years been propped up by the mobile sector, which accounts for the vast majority of internet connections and voice lines; it also accounts for just over half of telecom sector revenue; in December 2020, the government announced the rollout of a national broadband network costing up to $237 million; the funding will be spent on improving connectivity in under served areas, improving access to education, and deploying networks to public locations such as hospitals, municipal institutions, and police stations; to aid in this national broadband effort, the government received a donation of 650km of fiber cabling from local cable TV providers and the two main toll road operators; to encourage the use of digital channels as the country deals with the Covid-19 pandemic (2021)"
      },
      "domestic": {
        "text": "fixed-line subscriptions nearly 17 per 100, cellular-mobile roughly 103 per 100 subscriptions (2021)"
      },
      "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)"
      }
    },
    "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": {
      "percent of population": {
        "text": "85% (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Broadband - fixed subscriptions": {
      "total": {
        "text": "448,000 (2023 est.)"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "16 (2023 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Transportation": {
    "National air transport system": {
      "number of registered air carriers": {
        "text": "0 (2020)"
      }
    },
    "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix": {
      "text": "6Y"
    },
    "Airports": {
      "text": "20 (2024)"
    },
    "Heliports": {
      "text": "2 (2024)"
    },
    "Roadways": {
      "total": {
        "text": "25,595 km (2017)"
      }
    },
    "Merchant marine": {
      "total": {
        "text": "40 (2023)"
      },
      "by type": {
        "text": "bulk carrier 1, general cargo 11, oil tanker 1, other 27"
      }
    },
    "Ports": {
      "total ports": {
        "text": "11 (2024)"
      },
      "large": {
        "text": "0"
      },
      "medium": {
        "text": "1"
      },
      "small": {
        "text": "2"
      },
      "very small": {
        "text": "8"
      },
      "ports with oil terminals": {
        "text": "5"
      },
      "key ports": {
        "text": "Falmouth, Kingston, Lucea, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Rio Bueno, Rocky Point, Savannah la Mar"
      }
    }
  },
  "Military and Security": {
    "Military and security forces": {
      "text": "Jamaica Defense Force (JDF): Ground Forces (Jamaica Regiment), Air Wing, Coast Guard; Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF); Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC) (2024)",
      "note": "<strong>note 1: </strong>the Coast Guard and Air Wing are operationally combined under the joint Military-Air-Cyber Command, along with the Military Cyber Corps, Special Activities Regiment, Support Brigade, and Military Intelligence Unit<br><br><strong>note 2:</strong> the JCF is the country’s police force; it has primary responsibility for internal security and has units for community policing, special response, intelligence gathering, and internal affairs; both it and the JDF are under the Ministry of National Security <br><br><strong>note 3:</strong> the JNSC is a third category of service that military recruits can join as a preparatory phase for future careers; JNSC soldiers receive basic military, vocational, and life skills training; upon completion of 12 months of service, soldiers can continue on with the JDF or the JDF reserves or seek opportunities in other public sector entities such as the JCF, the Department of Correctional Services, the Jamaica Fire Brigade, the Jamaica Customs Agency, or the Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency"
    },
    "Military expenditures": {
      "Military Expenditures 2023": {
        "text": "1.2% of GDP (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Military Expenditures 2022": {
        "text": "1.3% of GDP (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Military Expenditures 2021": {
        "text": "1.4% of GDP (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Military Expenditures 2020": {
        "text": "1.7% of GDP (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Military Expenditures 2019": {
        "text": "1.6% of GDP (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Military and security service personnel strengths": {
      "text": "approximately 5,000 personnel (2023)"
    },
    "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": {
      "text": "the JDF is lightly armed with a limited inventory featuring equipment mostly from Australia, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, the UK, and the US&nbsp; (2024)"
    },
    "Military service age and obligation": {
      "text": "18-23 for voluntary military service (17 with parental consent) for men and women; 18-28 for the reserves; no conscription; since 2017, the JDF's standard mode of recruitment is to enroll recruits ages 18-23 through the Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC), which has a service requirement of 12 months (2024)",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> as of 2022, women made up about 20% of the JDF's uniformed personnel"
    },
    "Military - note": {
      "text": "in addition to its responsibility of defending against external aggression, the JDF's primary missions are border, internal, and maritime security, including support to police operations in combating crime and violence; other missions include search and rescue, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, and peacekeeping; it has arrest authority and partners with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF); both the JDF and JCF are under the Ministry of National Security, which directs policy for the security forces; the JDF participates in bilateral and multinational training exercises, including with the militaries of Canada, the UK, the US, and other Caribbean nations <br><br>while Jamaica had a militia force as early as the 1660s, the JDF was constituted in 1962 from the West India Regiment (WIR), a British colonial regiment which dates back to 1795 (2024)"
    }
  },
  "Transnational Issues": {
    "Illicit drugs": {
      "text": "<p>Jamaica is the largest Caribbean source of marijuana and a transit point for cocaine trafficked from South America to North America and other international markets; criminal gangs in Jamaica, Haiti, and Central America use marijuana for currency to obtain guns or other contraband from criminal entities in Haiti and Central America</p>"
    }
  }
}