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Jamaica Economy

Jamaica's economy in numbers:

Nominal GDP of USD 17.1 billion in 2022.

GDP per capita of USD 6,234 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

Average real GDP growth of 0.5% over the last decade.

Share of the region's population
Share of the region's GDP

Economic structure:

In 2021, services accounted for 70% of overall GDP, manufacturing 8%, other industrial activity 13%, and agriculture 9%. Looking at GDP by expenditure, private consumption accounted for 76% of GDP in 2021, government consumption 17%, fixed investment 22%, and net exports -15%.

GDP by economic sector
GDP by type of expenditure

International trade:

In 2020, manufactured products made up 4% of total merchandise exports, mineral fuels 19%, food 31%, ores and metals 45% and agricultural raw materials 0%, with other categories accounting for 1% of the total. In the same period, manufactured products made up 58% of total merchandise imports, mineral fuels 19%, food 22%, ores and metals 0% and agricultural raw materials 1%, with other goods accounting for 0% of the total. Total exports were worth USD 2 billion in 2022, while total imports were USD 7 billion.

Key exports
Key imports
Key export partners
Key import partners

Economic growth:

The economy recorded average annual growth of 0.5% in the decade to 2022. To read more about GDP growth in Jamaica, go to our dedicated page.

Fiscal policy:

Jamaica's fiscal deficit averaged 0.4% of GDP in the decade to 2022. Find out more on our dedicated page.

Unemployment:

The unemployment rate averaged 11.2% in the decade to 2022. For more information on Jamaica's unemployment click here.

Inflation:

Inflation averaged 5.9% in the decade to 2022. Go to our Jamaica inflation page for extra insight.

Monetary Policy:

Jamaica's monetary policy rate ended 2022 at 7.00%, up from 6.25% a decade earlier. See our Jamaica monetary policy page for additional details.

Exchange Rate:

From end-2012 to end-2022 the Jamaican dollar weakened by 39.1% vs the U.S. dollar. For more info on the Jamaican dollar, click here.
GDP growth slowed further year on year in Q3 from the first six months of 2023, reflecting a sharper drop in agricultural production due to a drought and weak growth in wholesale and retail sales owing to sticky inflation, elevated interest rates and a greater fall in remittances. That said, tourism remained robust, and mining activity continued to grow at over 100%. Turning to Q4, inflation declined slightly but remained elevated; meanwhile, in October–November, remittances continued to drop. These dynamics suggest that household spending likely remained muted in the quarter. In other news, the government recently announced that local elections will be held on 26 February. The polls are likely to show an increase in support for the main opposition party, the center-left PNP, acting as a barometer ahead of general elections due in 2025.
Projections out to 2033.

43 indicators covered including both annual and quarterly frequencies.

Consensus Forecasts based on a panel of 13 expert analysts.

Want to get insight on the economic outlook for Jamaica in the coming years? FocusEconomics collects projections out to 2033 on 43 economic indicators for Jamaica from a panel of 13 analysts at the leading national, regional and global forecast institutions. These projections are then validated by our in-house team of economists and data analysts, and averaged to provide one Consensus Forecast you can rely on for each indicator. This means you avoid the risk of relying on out of date, biased or outlier forecasts. Our Consensus Forecasts can be visualized in whichever way best suits your needs, including via interactive online dashboards , direct data delivery and executive-style reports which combine analysts' projections with timely written analysis from our in-house team of economists on the latest developments in the Jamaica economy. To download a sample report on the Jamaica's economy, click here . To get in touch with our team for more information, fill in the form at the bottom of this page .

Jamaica Economic Data

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Population (million) 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7
GDP (USD bn) 15.7 15.8 13.8 14.7 17.1
GDP per capita (USD) 5,761 5,789 5,050 5,352 6,234
GDP (JMD bn) 2,027 2,110 1,967 2,210 2,623
Economic Growth (Nominal GDP, ann. var. %) 7.0 4.1 -6.8 12.4 18.7
Economic Growth (GDP, ann. var. %) 1.8 1.0 -9.9 4.6 5.2
Private Consumption (ann. var. %) 1.0 1.0 -13.2 3.0 4.0
Government Consumption (ann. var. %) -0.2 1.8 11.7 2.1 16.8
Fixed Investment (ann. var. %) 5.7 1.9 -15.4 -4.1 -9.6
Exports (G&S, ann. var. %) 8.2 3.6 -30.0 25.8 15.1
Imports (G&S, ann. var. %) 6.0 4.2 -26.7 12.0 11.8
Unemployment (% of active population, aop) 9.1 7.7 10.2 8.4 6.3
Fiscal Balance (% of GDP) 1.2 0.9 -3.1 0.9 0.3
Public Debt (% of GDP) 94.4 94.3 109.7 94.2 77.1
Money (ann. var. of M2 %) 9.9 9.7 18.5 13.5 8.5
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, eop) 2.4 6.2 5.6 7.3 9.3
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, aop) 3.7 3.9 5.7 5.9 10.3
Overnight Deposit Rate (%, eop) 1.75 0.50 0.50 2.50 7.00
Exchange Rate (JMD per USD, eop) 127 133 142 154 152
Exchange Rate (JMD per USD, aop) 129 133 142 151 153
Current Account Balance (USD bn) -0.2 -0.3 -0.2 0.1 -0.1
Current Account Balance (% of GDP) -1.5 -1.9 -1.1 1.0 -0.8
Merchandise Trade Balance (USD bn) -3.5 -4.0 -2.9 -2.8 -4.6
Merchandise Exports (USD bn) 2.0 1.7 1.3 1.5 1.9
Merchandise Imports (USD bn) 5.5 5.7 4.2 4.3 6.5
Merchandise Exports (ann. var. %) 45.2 -15.7 -24.4 18.4 28.4
Merchandise Imports (ann. var. %) 11.7 3.8 -26.1 1.5 52.7
Foreign Direct Investment (USD bn) 0.8 0.7 0.3 0.3 0.4
International Reserves (USD bn) 3.5 3.6 3.9 4.8 4.5
International Reserves (months of imports) 7.7 7.7 11.3 13.6 8.3
External Debt (USD bn) 16.4 16.0 15.9 17.8 17.6
External Debt (% of GDP) 104.2 101.2 115.1 121.3 102.7

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