The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Jamaica
Jamaica: The share and number of people living in extreme poverty was 1.4% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Jamaica, 1988–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Jamaica stood at 1.4%.
That represents a change of up 226.4% on the previous year and up 226.4% over five years.
Over the whole period, the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Jamaica peaked at 20.5% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2018.
Jamaica ranks 59th of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 13.8% | — |
| 1990 | 11.6% | -15.5% |
| 1993 | 20.5% | +76.6% |
| 1996 | 8.3% | -59.7% |
| 1999 | 5.7% | -30.9% |
| 2002 | 6.4% | +12.0% |
| 2004 | 4.5% | -29.2% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | -90.6% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | +226.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 13.8% | 13.8% | 13.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 11.5% | 5.7% | 20.5% | 4 |
| 2000s | 5.5% | 4.5% | 6.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 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 the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Jamaica?
- The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Jamaica was 1.4% in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 20.5% in 1993.
- What is the lowest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2018.
- How does Jamaica rank for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Jamaica ranks 59th 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 The share and number of people living in extreme poverty. 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 $3 per day.