Jamaica
North America · Caribbean
Reggae's birthplace; high crime in Kingston, resort areas a world apart.
At a Glance
📈Jamaica's Human Development Index
0.706
High human development#113 of 191 countries worldwide, #17 of 23 in North America.
Higher than 41% of countries with data. UNDP Human Development Report.
UNDP builds the index from three dimensions: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and a decent standard of living. They are measured by life expectancy at birth, mean and expected years of schooling, and gross national income per capita.
Closest indicators in this dataset
World Bank, own vintages. UNDP’s own component values are not carried here, so these are related measures rather than the index inputs.
Nearest countries by HDI
Full HDI ranking, all 191 countries →Jamaica
Jamaica is a Caribbean island of volcanic mountains, waterfalls, white-sand beaches, and a cultural output that has influenced the world far beyond its size, from reggae and rastafari philosophy to rum and jerk cuisine. The people have a directness and expressiveness that is part of the island's character, and the music is everywhere, not as a performance for tourists but as a way of life. Those who want more than a beach will find layers of culture and landscape well worth exploring.
- Produces world-record sprinters at a per-capita rate that dwarfs far larger nations.
- Birthplace of reggae, ska, dancehall, and Rastafarianism — outsized cultural reach for a small island.
- Blue Mountain coffee grows only in a tiny mountain region — among the world's most geographically limited.
- Jamaican Patois is the native tongue — English is official, but locals speaking to each other are often unintelligible to outsiders.
Quick Facts
Capital
Kingston
Languages
English, Jamaican Patois
Currency
$ JMD
Area
10,830 km²
Nomad Hub
Fixed Broadband
85Mbps
GDP / Capita
$8K
PPP / Capita
$13K
Inflation
4.0%
Unemployment
3.3%
Innovation (GII)
25.2
GNI / Capita
$8K
Tax Revenue
23.7%
FDI Inflows
1.4%
Education Spend
5.5%
Cost of Living
54.5
Price Level Index
28th pct
20-Year Trend + IMF Forecast
Income & inflation over time
HDI since 1990
0.664 → 0.706 (+0.042)Year by year →UNDP Human Development Report, 2023-24 edition. 33 annual values, none interpolated; hover any point for its year.
Twenty years here
Year by year →The world report →World Bank observations, first to last available year per indicator (roughly 2005–2024; each series has its own window).
Thinking about Jamaica for real?
The matcher weighs your budget, timeline and dealbreakers against the same data on this page, then answers with the places that actually fit.
Find your match →💬Quick answers
What is Jamaica's Human Development Index?
Jamaica's Human Development Index is 0.706 (UNDP Human Development Report), ranked #113 of 191 countries.
Is Jamaica safe?
Jamaica scores 1.92 on the Global Peace Index (lower is more peaceful), ranked #69 of 160 countries by the Institute for Economics & Peace. That measures national-level peace, not street crime; both are covered below.
How expensive is Jamaica?
Numbeo's cost-of-living index puts Jamaica at 54.5 (New York = 100); that is #111 cheapest of 143 countries with data.
What is life expectancy in Jamaica?
Life expectancy at birth in Jamaica is 71.6 yrs (World Bank), ranked #122 of 195 countries.