Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Jamaica
Jamaica: Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total was 55.8 % in 2023. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Jamaica, 2014–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Jamaica stood at 55.8 %.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Jamaica peaked at 56.4 % in 2022 and was at its lowest, 45.8 %, in 2017.
That places Jamaica 22nd out of 121 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 48.3 % | — |
| 2015 | 47.4 % | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 46.9 % | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 45.8 % | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 48.4 % | +5.7% |
| 2019 | 50.3 % | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 54.4 % | +8.2% |
| 2021 | 55.1 % | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 56.4 % | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 55.8 % | -1.1% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 55.8 % is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.9 %, 3.1× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 55.8 % is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 29.55 %, 1.9× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 47.85 % | 45.8 % | 50.3 % | 6 |
| 2020s | 55.42 % | 54.4 % | 56.4 % | 4 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More agriculture & rural data for Jamaica
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.16 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0874 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 699.7 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4057 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.1% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Jamaica?
- Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Jamaica was 55.8 % in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 56.4 % in 2022.
- What is the lowest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.8 % in 2017.
- How does Jamaica rank for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total?
- Jamaica ranks 22nd out of 121 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.5%. 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, published as part of Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total population (percent) (3-year average) — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The Suite of Food Security Indicators presents the core set of food security indicators. Following the recommendation of experts gathered in the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) Round Table on hunger measurement, hosted at FAO headquarters in September 2011, an initial set of indicators aiming to capture various aspects of food insecurity is presented here. The choice of the indicators has been informed by expert judgement and the availability of data with sufficient coverage to enable comparisons across regions and over time. Many of these indicators are produced and published elsewhere by FAO and other international organizations. They are reported here in a single database with the aim of building a wide food security information system. More indicators will be added to this set as more data will become available. Indicators are classified along the four dimensions of food security -- availability, access, utilization and stability.