Jamaica is a country in Caribbean. Its capital is Kingston.
North America and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Kingston; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapJamaica is a mountainous Caribbean island with limited coastal plains. Limestone covers much of the land and has produced caves, sinkholes and rugged karst terrain. Higher mountain ranges rise in the east.
The Blue Mountains have steep slopes and cooler upland conditions. Coastal areas vary from sandy beaches and wetlands to rocky cliffs. Interior basins and valleys support farming and settlements between these higher regions.
The coastal lowlands are hot and humid. Higher elevations are cooler, and mountain terrain produces substantial differences in rainfall.
Rainfall varies with elevation and exposure, leaving some southern areas much drier than northern slopes. Forest and agricultural landscapes reflect these differences. Limestone drainage means that some water flows underground rather than in visible streams.
Diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles, two green (top and bottom) and two black (left and right)
The eastern highlands rise above Jamaica’s coastal lowlands.
Photo: Wolmadrian · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
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A vervain hummingbird photographed at Strawberry Hill shows part of the island’s wildlife.
Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
English is used in official institutions and formal education. Jamaican Patwa, also called Jamaican Creole, is widely used in everyday conversation, music and cultural expression.
Patwa has its own grammar and draws on the island’s African and European history. Speakers often move between Patwa and more standard English depending on context, rather than belonging to two completely separate language groups.
Taíno communities lived on Jamaica before Spanish colonization. England seized the island in 1655, and plantation slavery became central to the economy. After the end of slavery and later constitutional reforms, Jamaica gained independence through negotiations with Britain on 6 August 1962.
Tourism, mining and processing of bauxite into alumina, agriculture and other services are major activities. Remittances support household income. Global tourism demand, commodity prices and hurricanes affect the economy.
agriculture, mining, manufacture, construction, financial and insurance services, tourism, telecommunications
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1,878,196 | 1.878 |
| 1980 | 2,145,658 | 2.146 |
| 1990 | 2,379,877 | 2.380 |
| 2000 | 2,607,826 | 2.608 |
| 2010 | 2,748,568 | 2.749 |
| 2020 | 2,830,739 | 2.831 |
| 2025 | 2,837,077 | 2.837 |
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 11,360,648,631 | 11.361 |
| 1991 | 11,910,303,936 | 11.910 |
| 1992 | 12,143,214,991 | 12.143 |
| 1993 | 13,286,754,001 | 13.287 |
| 1994 | 13,470,561,602 | 13.471 |
| 1995 | 13,787,114,012 | 13.787 |
| 1996 | 13,771,433,761 | 13.771 |
| 1997 | 13,614,376,085 | 13.614 |
| 1998 | 13,296,541,186 | 13.297 |
| 1999 | 13,435,845,574 | 13.436 |
| 2000 | 13,553,906,826 | 13.554 |
| 2001 | 13,736,197,326 | 13.736 |
| 2002 | 14,010,549,151 | 14.011 |
| 2003 | 14,524,220,379 | 14.524 |
| 2004 | 14,716,481,130 | 14.716 |
| 2005 | 14,848,016,735 | 14.848 |
| 2006 | 15,278,479,351 | 15.278 |
| 2007 | 15,497,260,153 | 15.497 |
| 2008 | 15,371,463,205 | 15.371 |
| 2009 | 14,703,526,729 | 14.704 |
| 2010 | 14,489,274,699 | 14.489 |
| 2011 | 14,739,993,670 | 14.740 |
| 2012 | 14,649,543,757 | 14.650 |
| 2013 | 14,725,382,395 | 14.725 |
| 2014 | 14,826,961,376 | 14.827 |
| 2015 | 14,963,589,916 | 14.964 |
| 2016 | 15,376,650,480 | 15.377 |
| 2017 | 15,729,242,259 | 15.729 |
| 2018 | 16,124,965,549 | 16.125 |
| 2019 | 16,416,735,751 | 16.417 |
| 2020 | 15,053,421,189 | 15.053 |
| 2021 | 15,912,170,665 | 15.912 |
| 2022 | 16,936,803,585 | 16.937 |
| 2023 | 17,401,946,532 | 17.402 |
| 2024 | 17,308,839,320 | 17.309 |
| 2025 | 17,322,971,206 | 17.323 |
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
A parliamentary constitutional monarchy. A Governor-General represents the monarch, a Prime Minister heads the government, and Parliament has an elected House of Representatives and an appointed Senate.
Three questions about Jamaica.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.
