Jamaica - Geography
Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Jamaica. Third largest island in the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola); strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal. Mother's mean age at first birth is 21.2 years (2008 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 130 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Geographical data of Jamaica
| Location | Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba |
|---|---|
| Geographic coordinates | 18 15 N, 77 30 W |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Tarrain | mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain |
| Natural Resources | bauxite, alumina, gypsum, limestone |
| Natural Hazards | hurricanes (especially July to November) |
| Irrigated Land | 250 sq km (2012) |
| Major rivers (by length in km) | |
| Major aquifers | |
| Land Boundaries | 0 km |
| Border Countries | |
| Coastline | 1,022 km |
| Climate | tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior |
| Area | |
| Total Area | |
| Land Area | 10,831 sq km |
| Water Area | 160 sq km |
| comparative Area | about half the size of New Jersey; slightly smaller than Connecticut |
| Maritime Claims | |
| Territorial sea | 12 nm |
| Contiguous zone | 24 nm |
| Exclusive economic zone | 200 nm |
| Continental shelf | 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin |
| Elevations | |
| Highest point | Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m |
| Lowest point | Caribbean Sea 0 m |
| Mean elevation | 18 m |
| Land Use | |
| Agricultural land | 38.5% (2022 est.) |
| Agricultural land: arable land | arable land: 11.1% (2022 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent crops | permanent crops: 6.3% (2022 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent pasture | permanent pasture: 21.1% (2022 est.) |
| Forest | 55.8% (2022 est.) |
| Other | 5.7% (2022 est.) |
Population Distribution
Population density is high throughout, but increases in and around Kingston, Montego Bay, and Port Esquivel
People and Society
In Jamaica, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Black 92.1%, mixed 6.1%, East Indian 0.8%, other 0.4%, unspecified 0.7% (2011 est.)
| Population | |
|---|---|
| Pop growth rate | 0.1% (2024 est.) |
| Birth rate | 15.6 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Death rate | 7.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Health expenditure | |
| Physicians Density | |
| Hospital bed Density | 1.7 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
| Total fertility rate | 2.05 children born/woman (2024 est.) |
| Gross reproduction rate | 1 (2024 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | |
| Est married women (ages 15-49) | 32.7% (2023 est.) |
| Literacy | |
| Education expenditures | |
| Net Migration rate | -7.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Nationality | Jamaican | Jamaican(s) |
| Languages | English, Jamaican patois |
| Religions | Protestant 64.8% (includes Seventh Day Adventist 12.0%, Pentecostal 11.0%, Other Church of God 9.2%, New Testament Church of God 7.2%, Baptist 6.7%, Church of God in Jamaica 4.8%, Church of God of Prophecy 4.5%, Anglican 2.8%, United Church 2.1%, Methodist 1.6%, Revived 1.4%, Brethren 0.9%, and Moravian 0.7%), Roman Catholic 2.2%, Jehovah's Witness 1.9%, Rastafarian 1.1%, other 6.5%, none 21.3%, unspecified 2.3% (2011 est.) |
| Age Structure | |
| 0-14 years | 23.8% (male 342,691/female 329,773) |
| 15-64 years | 65.7% (male 914,364/female 941,816) |
| 65 years and over | 10.4% (2024 est.) (male 140,440/female 154,629) |
| Dependency Ratios | |
| Total dependency ratio | 52.1 (2024 est.) |
| Youth dependency ratio | 36.2 (2024 est.) |
| Elderly dependency ratio | 15.9 (2024 est.) |
| Potential support ratio | 6.3 (2024 est.) |
| Median Age | |
| Total | 30.9 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 30.1 years |
| Female | 31.7 years |
| Urbanization | |
| Urban population | 57.4% of total population (2023) |
| Rate of urbanization | 0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
| Major urban areas (Pop) | 597,000 KINGSTON (capital) (2023). |
| Sex Ratio | |
| At birth | 1.05 male(s)/female |
| 0-14 years | 1.04 male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 0.97 male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.91 male(s)/female |
| Total population | 0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
| Infant Motality | |
| Total | 10.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) |
| Male | 11.9 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Female | 9.4 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life Expectancy at birth | |
| Total population | 76.3 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 74.5 years |
| Female | 78.1 years |
| Drinking Water Sources | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 95.4% of population (2022 est.) |
| Improved: rural | rural: 85.4% of population (2022 est.) |
| Improved: total | total: 91.1% of population (2022 est.) |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 4.6% of population (2022 est.) |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: 14.6% of population (2022 est.) |
| Unimproved: total | total: 8.9% of population (2022 est.) |
| Sanitation facility acess | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 98.6% of population (2022 est.) |
| Improved: rural | rural: 99.4% of population (2022 est.) |
| Improved: total | total: 98.9% of population (2022 est.) |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 1.4% of population (2022 est.) |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: 0.6% of population (2022 est.) |
| Unimproved: total | total: 1.1% of population (2022 est.) |
| Alcohol consumption per capita | |
| Total | 3.46 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Beer | 1.19 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Wine | 0.25 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Spirits | 1.66 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Other alcohols | 0.35 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Tobacco use | |
| Total | 9% (2025 est.) |
| Male | 15.1% (2025 est.) |
| Female | 3.1% (2025 est.) |
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Jamaica
Want to know more about Jamaica? Check all different factbooks for Jamaica below.
