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Demographics of Jamaica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean. The country had a population of 2,825,352 in 2023, the fourth largest in the region.
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Demographics of Jamaica | |
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![]() Population pyramid of Jamaica in 2020 | |
Population | 2,818,596 (2022) |
Growth rate | 0.08% (2022 est.) |
Birth rate | 12.0 births/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
Death rate | 8.8 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
Life expectancy | 75.75 years |
• male | 73.98 years |
• female | 77.6 years |
Fertility rate | 1.40 children |
Infant mortality rate | 11.17 deaths/1,000 live births |
Net migration rate | −7.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
Nationality | |
Nationality | Jamaican |
Major ethnic | Afro-Jamaicans (76.3%) (2023)[1] |
Minor ethnic | 15.1% Afro-European[or Browning Class], 3.4% East Indian and Afro-East Indian, 3.2% Caucasian, 1.2% Chinese and 0.8% Other[2] |
Language | |
Official | English |
Spoken | English, Jamaican Patois, Mandarin, Hakka, Cantonese |
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1844 | 377,433 | — |
1861 | 441,264 | +16.9% |
1871 | 506,154 | +14.7% |
1881 | 580,804 | +14.7% |
1891 | 639,491 | +10.1% |
1911 | 831,383 | +30.0% |
1921 | 858,118 | +3.2% |
1943 | 1,237,063 | +44.2% |
1960 | 1,609,814 | +30.1% |
1970 | 1,848,512 | +14.8% |
1982 | 2,190,357 | +18.5% |
1991 | 2,380,666 | +8.7% |
2001 | 2,607,632 | +9.5% |
2011 | 2,697,983 | +3.5% |
Source: [3] |
Jamaica's annual population growth rate stood at 0.08% in 2022. As of 2023, Jamaicans of African descent represent 92.1% of the population, followed by 6.1% Afro-European or Brown, 0.8% East Indian and Afro-East Indian, >0.8 % Caucasian, 0.4% Chinese and 0.2% other.[4] 68.9% of Jamaicans were Christians in 2011, predominantly Protestant.
A more precise study conducted by the local University of the West Indies - Jamaica's population is more accurately 76.3% African descent or Black, 15.1% Afro-European ( or locally called the Brown Man or Browning Class) , 3.4% East Indian and Afro-East Indian, 3.2% Caucasian, 1.2% Chinese and 0.8% Other.[5]
Wealth or Economic Power in Jamaica is disproportionately held by the White Jamaicans, Chinese Jamaicans and the Afro-European ( or locally called the Brown Man or Browning Class) - i.e. despite being a minority group(s) (less than 25% of the country's population) controls most of the country's wealth.