Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in Jamaica
Jamaica: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day was 22.9% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in Jamaica, 1988–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in Jamaica is 22.9%, measured in 2021.
The figure is up 24.7% on the previous year and up 24.7% over five years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in Jamaica peaked at 78.9% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 18.3%, in 2018.
Jamaica ranks 54th of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 60.3% | — |
| 1990 | 64.2% | +6.6% |
| 1993 | 78.9% | +22.9% |
| 1996 | 60.2% | -23.7% |
| 1999 | 45.1% | -25.1% |
| 2002 | 46.6% | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 44.3% | -5.0% |
| 2018 | 18.3% | -58.6% |
| 2021 | 22.9% | +24.7% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 22.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 21.4%, 1.1× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 22.9% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 22.1%, 1.0× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 60.3% | 60.3% | 60.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 62.1% | 45.1% | 78.9% | 4 |
| 2000s | 45.5% | 44.3% | 46.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 18.3% | 18.3% | 18.3% | 1 |
| 2020s | 22.9% | 22.9% | 22.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More poverty & inequality data for Jamaica
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 2 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ 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 poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in Jamaica?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in Jamaica was 22.9% in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 78.9% in 1993.
- What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.3% in 2018.
- How does Jamaica rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day?
- Jamaica ranks 54th 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 Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $8.30 per day.