Proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Jamaica
Jamaica: Proportion of population living below the national poverty line was 8.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Jamaica, 2012–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Jamaica is 8.2%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 50.9% on the previous year and down 66.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Jamaica peaked at 24.6% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 8.2%, in 2023.
Jamaica ranks 61st of 73 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % | 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 | 12.6% | -34.7% |
| 2019 | 11.0% | -12.7% |
| 2021 | 16.7% | +51.8% |
| 2023 | 8.2% | -50.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 18.2% | 11.0% | 24.6% | 8 |
| 2020s | 12.4% | 8.2% | 16.7% | 2 |
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 proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Jamaica?
- Proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Jamaica was 8.2% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of population living below the national poverty line recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 24.6% in 2013.
- What is the lowest proportion of population living below the national poverty line recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.2% in 2023.
- How does Jamaica rank for proportion of population living below the national poverty line?
- Jamaica ranks 61st out of 73 countries with data for 2023.
- Is proportion of population living below the national poverty line rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 66.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of population living below the national poverty line (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).