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Jamaica  
The colorful images of Jamaica presented in travel brochures don’t tell the whole story. As in most countries, beautiful, affluent places do
exist. But in many other areas of Jamaica, poverty is the norm. The most recently available statistics reveal an unemployment rate of 16 percent
and an inflation rate of 10 percent. Jamaica’s economy has been in decline since 1974, when the energy-deficient country was hit hard by a rise in fuel costs. In
addition, a worldwide recession reduced foreign demand for Jamaican products.
Housing has become another problem for Jamaica’s urban poor. When people move to Kingston in search of work, it’s often difficult for them to find jobs. Some people become homeless, while others are forced to accept low-paying jobs. To afford food and other necessities, they move into abandoned properties. Some become squatters, building shacks of cardboard, wood, and rusted tin on land owned by others. As Jamaicans have become more desperate and frustrated, violent crime has also become more prevalent.
Food For The Poor Projects in Jamaica
Food For The Poor completed more than 100 projects in Jamaica between January 2008 and June 2009.
Fast Facts Page
General Information - Jamaica
- Area - 4,244 square miles (Jamaica is slightly smaller than Connecticut)
- Population - 2,825,928 (July 2009 est.)
- Capital - Kingston
- Holiday - Independence Day, Aug. 6, 1962
- Languages - English, English patois
- Religion - Protestant 62.5% (Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, Pentecostal 9.5%, Other Church of God 8.3%, Baptist 7.2%, New Testament Church of God 6.3%, Church of God in Jamaica 4.8%, Church of God of Prophecy 4.3%, Anglican 3.6%, other Christian 7.7%), Roman Catholic 2.6%, other or unspecified 14.2%, none 20.9%, (2001 census)
- Currency - Jamaican dollar - 63 JMD = $1
- Unemployment - 10.1 percent (2008)
- Literacy rate - Total population: 87.9% | Male: 84.1% | Female: 91.6% (Defined: People age 15 and over who have ever attended school), (2003 census)
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Jamaica Demographics |
By Age: (2009 est.)
0-14 years: 31.4% (male 451,310/female 436,466)
15-64 years: 61.1% (male 851,372/female 875,132)
65 years and over: 37.5% (male 94,833/female 116,815) |
Infant Mortality: (2009 est.)
Total: 15.22 deaths/1,000 live births
Male: 15.81 deaths/1,000 live births
Female:14.61 deaths/1,000 live births |
Median Age: (2008 est.)
Total: 23.7 years
Male: 23.1 years
Female: 24.2 years |
Life Expectancy: (2009 est.)
Total population: 73.53 years
Male: 71.83 years
Female:75.3 years
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Jamaica History
The island - discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1494 - was settled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The native Taino Indians, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually exterminated and replaced by African slaves. England seized the island in 1655 and established a plantation economy based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter million slaves, many of whom became small farmers. Jamaica gradually obtained increasing independence from Britain, and in 1958 it joined other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federation of the West Indies. Jamaica gained full independence when it withdrew from the Federation in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence as rival gangs affiliated with the major political parties evolved into powerful organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering. Violent crime, drug trafficking, and poverty pose significant challenges to the government today. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy.
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