Total shortfall from extreme poverty in Jamaica

Jamaica: Total shortfall from extreme poverty was 10.06 million international-$ in 2021 prices in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
10.06 million international-$ in 2021 prices
Change on year
up 292.2%
World rank
87th
of 120 countries
All-time high
153.17 million international-$ in 2021 prices
in 1993
All-time low
2.56 million international-$ in 2021 prices
in 2018
Years of data
9
1988–2021

Total shortfall from extreme poverty in Jamaica, 1988–2021

050.0M100.0M150.0M1988200420211988: 87.8M international-$ in 2021 prices1990: 70.7M international-$ in 2021 prices1993: 153.2M international-$ in 2021 prices1996: 54.3M international-$ in 2021 prices1999: 45.3M international-$ in 2021 prices2002: 49.6M international-$ in 2021 prices2004: 31.7M international-$ in 2021 prices2018: 2.6M international-$ in 2021 prices2021: 10.1M international-$ in 2021 prices

Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in international-$ in 2021 prices.

Analysis

In 2021, total shortfall from extreme poverty in Jamaica stood at 10.06 million international-$ in 2021 prices.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 292.2% on the previous year and up 292.2% over five years.

Over the whole period, total shortfall from extreme poverty in Jamaica peaked at 153.17 million international-$ in 2021 prices in 1993 and was at its lowest, 2.56 million international-$ in 2021 prices, in 2018.

Jamaica ranks 87th of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Total shortfall from extreme poverty in Jamaica, year by year

Annual values for Total shortfall from extreme poverty in Jamaica, 1988 to 2021.
Year international-$ in 2021 prices Change
1988 87.81 million international-$ in 2021 prices
1990 70.75 million international-$ in 2021 prices -19.4%
1993 153.17 million international-$ in 2021 prices +116.5%
1996 54.35 million international-$ in 2021 prices -64.5%
1999 45.25 million international-$ in 2021 prices -16.7%
2002 49.58 million international-$ in 2021 prices +9.6%
2004 31.71 million international-$ in 2021 prices -36.0%
2018 2.56 million international-$ in 2021 prices -91.9%
2021 10.06 million international-$ in 2021 prices +292.2%

Jamaica compared with similar countries

  • Jamaica's 10.06 million international-$ in 2021 prices is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 34.83 million international-$ in 2021 prices, 29% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
  • Jamaica's 10.06 million international-$ in 2021 prices is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 120.29 million international-$ in 2021 prices, 8% of the median. (18 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 87.81 million international-$ in 2021 prices 87.81 million international-$ in 2021 prices 87.81 million international-$ in 2021 prices 1
1990s 80.88 million international-$ in 2021 prices 45.25 million international-$ in 2021 prices 153.17 million international-$ in 2021 prices 4
2000s 40.64 million international-$ in 2021 prices 31.71 million international-$ in 2021 prices 49.58 million international-$ in 2021 prices 2
2010s 2.56 million international-$ in 2021 prices 2.56 million international-$ in 2021 prices 2.56 million international-$ in 2021 prices 1
2020s 10.06 million international-$ in 2021 prices 10.06 million international-$ in 2021 prices 10.06 million international-$ in 2021 prices 1

Countries ranked near Jamaica

  1. 84 Denmark 17.85 million international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  2. 85 Costa Rica 13.12 million international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  3. 86 Slovakia 12.27 million international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  4. 88 Montenegro 8.37 million international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  5. 89 Netherlands 8.20 million international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  6. 90 Norway 7.94 million international-$ in 2021 prices compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More poverty & inequality data for Jamaica

All data for Jamaica →

Frequently asked questions

What is total shortfall from extreme poverty in Jamaica?
Total shortfall from extreme poverty in Jamaica was 10.06 million international-$ in 2021 prices in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest total shortfall from extreme poverty recorded in Jamaica?
The highest recorded value was 153.17 million international-$ in 2021 prices in 1993.
What is the lowest total shortfall from extreme poverty recorded in Jamaica?
The lowest recorded value was 2.56 million international-$ in 2021 prices in 2018.
How does Jamaica rank for total shortfall from extreme poverty?
Jamaica ranks 87th 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 Total shortfall from extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Total shortfall from extreme poverty in Jamaica. Statizoid, drawing on World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://poverty.statizoid.com/stat/total-shortfall-from-extreme-poverty/jamaica/

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About this data

Indicator
Total shortfall from extreme poverty
Unit
international-$ in 2021 prices
Source
World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
120 places, 2,148 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed

This is the amount of money that would be theoretically needed to lift the income or consumption of all people in poverty up to $3 per day. However, this is not a measure of the actual cost of eliminating poverty, since it does not take into account the costs involved in making the necessary transfers nor any changes in behavior they would bring about.