Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in Jamaica
Jamaica: Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity was 56.4 percent in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in Jamaica, 2015–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.
Analysis
In 2023, share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in Jamaica stood at 56.4 percent. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and up 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in Jamaica peaked at 56.4 percent in 2023 and was at its lowest, 45.8 percent, in 2018.
Jamaica ranks 22nd of 126 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 48.3 percent | — |
| 2016 | 47.4 percent | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 46.9 percent | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 45.8 percent | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 48.4 percent | +5.7% |
| 2020 | 50.3 percent | +3.9% |
| 2021 | 54.4 percent | +8.2% |
| 2022 | 55.1 percent | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 56.4 percent | +2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 47.36 percent | 45.8 percent | 48.4 percent | 5 |
| 2020s | 54.05 percent | 50.3 percent | 56.4 percent | 4 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More population data for Jamaica
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -1.76 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -4.7 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -1.76 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -3.12 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 2,494 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.1905 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -1.66 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -1.8% (2100)
- Population density 98.5 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 35,987 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in Jamaica?
- Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity in Jamaica was 56.4 percent in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 56.4 percent in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.8 percent in 2018.
- How does Jamaica rank for share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity?
- Jamaica ranks 22nd out of 126 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population with moderate or severe food insecurity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Food insecurity is defined by the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). Moderate food insecurity is associated with the inability to regularly eat healthy, nutritious diets. Severe food insecurity is more related to insufficient quantity of food (energy).