Gini coefficient in Jamaica
Jamaica: Gini coefficient was 0.3987 in 2021. ▼ Falling
Gini coefficient in Jamaica, 1988–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for gini coefficient in Jamaica is 0.3987, measured in 2021.
That represents a change of up 12.9% on the previous year and up 12.9% over five years.
Over the whole period, gini coefficient in Jamaica peaked at 0.4832 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 0.3533, in 2018.
That places Jamaica 27th out of 120 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
Gini coefficient in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 0.4315 | — |
| 1990 | 0.4111 | -4.7% |
| 1993 | 0.3567 | -13.2% |
| 1996 | 0.4039 | +13.2% |
| 1999 | 0.4408 | +9.1% |
| 2002 | 0.4832 | +9.6% |
| 2004 | 0.4546 | -5.9% |
| 2018 | 0.3533 | -22.3% |
| 2021 | 0.3987 | +12.9% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 0.3987 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3588, 1.1× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 0.3987 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.4447, 90% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.4315 | 0.4315 | 0.4315 | 1 |
| 1990s | 0.4032 | 0.3567 | 0.4408 | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.4689 | 0.4546 | 0.4832 | 2 |
| 2010s | 0.3533 | 0.3533 | 0.3533 | 1 |
| 2020s | 0.3987 | 0.3987 | 0.3987 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More poverty & inequality data for Jamaica
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 2 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.36 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 1,140 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -1.89 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 27.77 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 27.8% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gini coefficient in Jamaica?
- Gini coefficient in Jamaica was 0.3987 in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gini coefficient recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4832 in 2002.
- What is the lowest gini coefficient recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3533 in 2018.
- How does Jamaica rank for gini coefficient?
- Jamaica ranks 27th out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gini coefficient. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Gini coefficient measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality.