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 99 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Location | Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba |
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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 | 41.4% (2018 est.) |
Agricultural land: arable land | arable land: 11.1% (2018 est.) |
Agricultural land: permanent crops | permanent crops: 9.2% (2018 est.) |
Agricultural land: permanent pasture | permanent pasture: 21.1% (2018 est.) |
Forest | 31.1% (2018 est.) |
Other | 27.5% (2018 est.) |
Population density is high throughout, but increases in and around Kingston, Montego Bay, and Port Esquivel
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 | |
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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 | 6.6% of GDP (2020) |
Physicians Density | |
Hospital bed Density | 1.7 beds/1,000 population (2017) |
Total fertility rate | 2.05 children born/woman (2024 est.) |
Gross reproduction rate | 1 (2024 est.) |
Contraceptive prevalence rate | NA |
Est married women (ages 15-49) | 32.7% (2023 est.) |
Literacy | age 15 and over has ever attended school |
Education expenditures | 6% of GDP (2021 est.) |
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 | 38 |
Youth dependency ratio | 28 |
Elderly dependency ratio | 13.4 |
Potential support ratio | 7.4 (2021 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: 98.3% of population |
Improved: rural | rural: 93.9% of population |
Improved: total | total: 96.4% of population |
Unimproved: urban | urban: 1.7% of population |
Unimproved: rural | rural: 6.1% of population |
Unimproved: total | total: 3.6% of population (2020 est.) |
Sanitation facility acess | |
Improved: urban | urban: 98.6% of population |
Improved: rural | rural: 99.4% of population |
Improved: total | total: 98.9% of population |
Unimproved: urban | urban: 1.4% of population |
Unimproved: rural | rural: 0.6% of population |
Unimproved: total | total: 1.1% of population (2020 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 | 9.4% (2020 est.) |
Male | 15% (2020 est.) |
Female | 3.8% (2020 est.) |
Want to know more about Jamaica? Check all different factbooks for Jamaica below.