Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Jamaica
Jamaica: Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) was 8.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of undernourishment in Jamaica, 2001–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of undernourishment in Jamaica stood at 8.0%.
That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and up 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of undernourishment in Jamaica peaked at 8.7% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 6.4%, in 2018.
That places Jamaica 66th out of 171 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 7.2% | — |
| 2002 | 6.7% | -6.9% |
| 2003 | 6.8% | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 6.9% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 7.1% | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 7.3% | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 7.9% | +8.2% |
| 2008 | 8.5% | +7.6% |
| 2009 | 8.7% | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 8.4% | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 8.2% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 8.0% | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 8.0% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 7.7% | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 8.1% | +5.2% |
| 2016 | 7.8% | -3.7% |
| 2017 | 7.5% | -3.8% |
| 2018 | 6.4% | -14.7% |
| 2019 | 6.9% | +7.8% |
| 2020 | 7.2% | +4.3% |
| 2021 | 7.8% | +8.3% |
| 2022 | 7.9% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 8.1% | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 8.0% | -1.2% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 8.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.1%, 2.0× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 8.0% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 4.6%, 1.8× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.5% | 6.7% | 8.7% | 9 |
| 2010s | 7.7% | 6.4% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.8% | 7.2% | 8.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
- 63 Egypt 8.4% compare
- 64 Bangladesh 8.2% compare
- 65 Cape Verde 8.1% compare
- 66 Tajikistan 8.0% compare
- 68 Fiji 7.2% compare
- 69 Oman 7.1% compare
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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 31 (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)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0288 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of undernourishment in Jamaica?
- Prevalence of undernourishment in Jamaica was 8.0% in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 8.7% in 2009.
- What is the lowest prevalence of undernourishment recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.4% in 2018.
- How does Jamaica rank for prevalence of undernourishment?
- Jamaica ranks 66th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of undernourishment rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.9%. 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 (FAO), published as part of Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population). 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
Prevalence of undernourishment is the percentage of the population whose habitual food consumption is insufficient to provide the dietary energy levels that are required to maintain a normal active and healthy life. Data showing as 2.5 may signify a prevalence of undernourishment below 2.5%.