Statistical information Jamaica 1999

Jamaica in the World
top of pageBackground: Jamaica gained full independence within the British Commonwealth in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence and a dropoff in tourism. Elections in 1980 saw the democratic socialists voted out of office and a more conservative government installed. Political violence marred elections during the 1990s.
top of pageLocation: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
Geographic coordinates: 18 15 N, 77 30 W
Map reference:
Central America and the CaribbeanAreaTotal: 10,990 km²
Land: 10,830 km²
Water: 160 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,022 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Terrain: mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
ElevationExtremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
Natural resources: bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Land useArable land: 14%
Permanent crops: 6%
Permanent pastures: 24%
Forests and woodland: 17%
Other: 39% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 350 km² (1993 est.)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: hurricanes (especially July to November)
GeographyNote: strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for Panama Canal
top of pagePopulation: 2,652,443 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 0.64% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: 34.2% (1992 est.)
NationalityNoun: Jamaican(s)
Adjective: Jamaican
Ethnic groups: black 90.4%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.6%
Languages: English, Creole
Religions: Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Baptist 8.8%, Anglican 5.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Methodist 2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Brethren 1.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%, Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other, including some spiritual cults 34.7%
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 31% (male 421,127; female 402,593)
15-64 years: 62% (male 819,956; female 828,176)
65 years and over: 7% (male 79,747; female 100,844) (1999 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 0.64% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 20.22 births/1000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 5.39 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -8.39 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 13.93 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 75.62 years
Male: 73.22 years
Female: 78.13 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.26 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracyDefinition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
Total population: 85%
Male: 80.8%
Female: 89.1% (1995 est.)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Jamaica
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Kingston
Administrative divisions: 14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland
Dependent areasIndependence: 6 August 1962 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day (first Monday in August) (1962)
Constitution: 6 August 1962
Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branchChief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Howard Felix COOKE (since 1 August 1991)
Head of government: Prime Minister Percival James PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Seymour MULLINGS (since NA 1993)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
Elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member body appointed by the governor general on the recommendations of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party 13 seats, opposition eight seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held 18 December 1997 (next to be held by March 2002)
Election results: percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_PNP 50, JLP 10
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister)
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representationIn the us chief of mission: Ambassador Richard Leighton BERNAL
In the us chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081
In the us consulates general: Miami and New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Stanley Louis MCLELLAND
From the us embassy: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor, Kingston
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [1] (809) 929-4,850 through 4,859
From the us FAX: [1] (809) 926-6,743
Flag description
: diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles_green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side)
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: Key sectors in this island economy are bauxite (alumina and bauxite account for more than half of exports) and tourism. Since assuming office in 1992, Prime Minister PATTERSON has eliminated most price controls, streamlined tax schedules, and privatized government enterprises. Continued tight monetary and fiscal policies have helped slow inflation_although inflationary pressures are mounting_and stabilize the exchange rate, but have resulted in the slowdown of economic growth (moving from 1.5% in 1992 to 0.5% in 1995). In 1996, GDP showed negative growth (-1.4%) and remained negative through 1998. Serious problems include:high interest rates; increased foreign competition; the weak financial condition of business in general resulting in receiverships or closures and downsizings of companies; the shift in investment portfolios to non-productive, short-term high yield instruments; a pressured, sometimes sliding, exchange rate; a widening merchandise trade deficit; and a growing internal debt for government bailouts to various ailing sectors of the economy, particularly the financial sector. Jamaica's medium-term prospects will depend upon encouraging investment in the productive sectors, maintaining a competitive exchange rate, stabilizing the labor environment, selling off reacquired firms, and implementing proper fiscal and monetary policies.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: -2% (1998 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $3,300 (1998 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: 7.4%
Industry: 42.1%
Services: 50.5% (1997 est.)
Agriculture products: sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, potatoes, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk
Industries: tourism, bauxite, textiles, food processing, light manufactures
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Labor force: 1.14 million (1996)
By occupation services: 41%
By occupation agriculture: 22.5%
By occupation industry: 19% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 16.5% (1997 est.)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty line: 34.2% (1992 est.)
Gini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $2.27 billion
Expenditures: $3.66 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.265 billion (FY98/99 est.)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: 1 April_31 March
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $1.7 billion (1997)
Commodities: alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum
Partners: US 33.3%, EU (excluding UK and Norway) 17.1%, Canada 14.1%, UK 13.4%, Norway 6.1%, Caricom 3.4%
Imports: $2.8 billion (1997)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, fuel, food, chemicals
Partners: US 47.7%, EU (excluding UK) 12.8%, Caricom 10.2%, Latin America 6.7%, UK 3.7% (1997)
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $4.2 billion (1997 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: Jamaican dollars (J$) per US$1_35.57 (December 1998), 35.404 (1997), 37.120 (1996), 35.142 (1995), 33.086 (1994)
top of pageElectricityProduction: 6.125 billion kWh (1996)
Production by source fossil fuel: 97.96%
Production by source hydro: 2.04%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 6.125 billion kWh (1996)
Exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Imports: 0 kWh (1996)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephones: 350,000 (1997 est.)
Telephone system: fully automatic domestic telephone network
Domestic: NA
International: satellite earth stations_2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); 3 coaxial submarine cables
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: $47.9 million (FY97/98 est.)
Percent of gdp: NA%
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 36 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 11
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 5 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 25
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 23 (1998 est.)
HeliportsPipelines: petroleum products 10 km
RailwaysTotal: 370 km
Standard gauge: 370 km 1.435-m gauge; note_207 km belong to the Jamaica Railway Corporation in common carrier service, but are no longer operational; the remaining track is privately owned and used to transport bauxite
RoadwaysWaterwaysMerchant marineTotal: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,478 GRT/5,878 DWT
Ships by type: oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1998 est.)
Ports and terminalsJamaica - Transnational issues 1999
top of pageDisputes international: none
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine from Central and South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication program