Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) in Jamaica
Jamaica: Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) was 7.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in Jamaica, 2012–2024
Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. country–specific) poverty lines., World Bank (W. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Jamaica recorded 7.8% for poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.9% on the previous year and down 61.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in Jamaica peaked at 24.6% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 7.8%, in 2024.
Jamaica ranks 60th of 70 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 19.9% | — |
| 2013 | 24.6% | +23.6% |
| 2014 | 20.0% | -18.7% |
| 2015 | 21.2% | +6.0% |
| 2016 | 17.1% | -19.3% |
| 2017 | 19.3% | +12.9% |
| 2018 | 12.7% | -34.2% |
| 2019 | 11.0% | -13.4% |
| 2021 | 16.7% | +51.8% |
| 2023 | 8.2% | -50.9% |
| 2024 | 7.8% | -4.9% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 7.8% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 18.5%, 42% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 7.8% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 24.9%, 31% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 18.2% | 11.0% | 24.6% | 8 |
| 2020s | 10.9% | 7.8% | 16.7% | 3 |
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 poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in Jamaica?
- Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in Jamaica was 7.8% in 2024, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. country–specific) poverty lines., World Bank (W.
- What is the highest poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 24.6% in 2013.
- What is the lowest poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.8% in 2024.
- How does Jamaica rank for poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines?
- Jamaica ranks 60th out of 70 countries with data for 2024.
- Is poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 61.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. country–specific) poverty lines., World Bank (W, published as part of Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty line(s). National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys. For economies for which the data are from EU-SILC, the reported year is the income reference year, which is the year before the survey year.