Out-of-pocket expenditure in Jamaica
Jamaica: Out-of-pocket expenditure was 20.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-pocket expenditure in Jamaica, 2000–2023
Source: Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of current health expenditure.
Analysis
Jamaica recorded 20.2% for out-of-pocket expenditure in 2023.
That represents a change of up 6.4% on the previous year and down 44.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-pocket expenditure in Jamaica peaked at 45.7% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 19.0%, in 2022.
That places Jamaica 127th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Out-of-pocket expenditure in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % of current health expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 33.6% | — |
| 2001 | 38.4% | +14.5% |
| 2002 | 37.9% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 44.7% | +18.0% |
| 2004 | 40.4% | -9.6% |
| 2005 | 44.7% | +10.6% |
| 2006 | 45.7% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 40.8% | -10.7% |
| 2008 | 41.1% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 37.8% | -8.2% |
| 2010 | 37.1% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 37.4% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 38.2% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 36.5% | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 35.4% | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 31.1% | -12.2% |
| 2016 | 29.0% | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 26.7% | -7.9% |
| 2018 | 27.4% | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 26.9% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 24.4% | -9.1% |
| 2021 | 22.0% | -10.1% |
| 2022 | 19.0% | -13.3% |
| 2023 | 20.2% | +6.4% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 20.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 30.1%, 67% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 20.2% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 29.3%, 69% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 40.5% | 33.6% | 45.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.6% | 26.7% | 38.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.4% | 19.0% | 24.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More health data for Jamaica
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -3.12 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.3325 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,308 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 31 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -1.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0278 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -1.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-pocket expenditure in Jamaica?
- Out-of-pocket expenditure in Jamaica was 20.2% in 2023, according to Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest out-of-pocket expenditure recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 45.7% in 2006.
- What is the lowest out-of-pocket expenditure recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.0% in 2022.
- How does Jamaica rank for out-of-pocket expenditure?
- Jamaica ranks 127th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-pocket expenditure rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Out-of-pocket expenditure (% of current health expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Share of out-of-pocket payments of total current health expenditures. Out-of-pocket payments are spending on health directly out-of-pocket by households.