Share of cereals allocated to human food in Jamaica
Jamaica: Share of cereals allocated to human food was 42.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of cereals allocated to human food in Jamaica, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of cereals allocated to human food in Jamaica is 42.1%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and down 28.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of cereals allocated to human food in Jamaica peaked at 95.5% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 35.9%, in 2016.
That places Jamaica 137th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Share of cereals allocated to human food in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 95.5% | — |
| 1962 | 94.6% | -0.9% |
| 1963 | 94.0% | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 90.1% | -4.2% |
| 1965 | 92.2% | +2.4% |
| 1966 | 81.5% | -11.7% |
| 1967 | 83.9% | +3.0% |
| 1968 | 83.6% | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 79.3% | -5.1% |
| 1970 | 77.9% | -1.8% |
| 1971 | 66.9% | -14.1% |
| 1972 | 68.5% | +2.4% |
| 1973 | 69.0% | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 70.3% | +1.9% |
| 1975 | 66.5% | -5.5% |
| 1976 | 64.8% | -2.5% |
| 1977 | 65.2% | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 63.7% | -2.4% |
| 1979 | 61.2% | -3.9% |
| 1980 | 59.9% | -2.0% |
| 1981 | 57.5% | -4.2% |
| 1982 | 59.9% | +4.3% |
| 1983 | 64.8% | +8.2% |
| 1984 | 64.5% | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 65.9% | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 73.5% | +11.6% |
| 1987 | 66.5% | -9.6% |
| 1988 | 67.9% | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 66.7% | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 64.6% | -3.1% |
| 1991 | 62.5% | -3.2% |
| 1992 | 58.8% | -5.9% |
| 1993 | 57.0% | -3.2% |
| 1994 | 59.0% | +3.5% |
| 1995 | 61.5% | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 59.0% | -4.1% |
| 1997 | 56.2% | -4.7% |
| 1998 | 58.2% | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 60.2% | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 55.6% | -7.7% |
| 2001 | 60.1% | +8.2% |
| 2002 | 52.9% | -12.1% |
| 2003 | 56.6% | +7.0% |
| 2004 | 56.3% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 59.3% | +5.2% |
| 2006 | 50.2% | -15.3% |
| 2007 | 54.3% | +8.3% |
| 2008 | 68.1% | +25.4% |
| 2009 | 73.3% | +7.6% |
| 2010 | 65.2% | -11.1% |
| 2011 | 57.8% | -11.2% |
| 2012 | 59.3% | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 59.0% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 52.9% | -10.3% |
| 2015 | 65.7% | +24.2% |
| 2016 | 35.9% | -45.4% |
| 2017 | 47.0% | +30.9% |
| 2018 | 47.8% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 44.6% | -6.7% |
| 2020 | 51.8% | +16.1% |
| 2021 | 47.2% | -8.9% |
| 2022 | 41.1% | -12.8% |
| 2023 | 42.1% | +2.4% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 42.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 55.5%, 76% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 42.1% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 55.5%, 76% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of cereals allocated to human food in Jamaica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | -45.4% | 65.7% | 35.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 88.3% | 79.3% | 95.5% | 9 |
| 1970s | 67.4% | 61.2% | 77.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 64.7% | 57.5% | 73.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 59.7% | 56.2% | 64.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.7% | 50.2% | 73.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.5% | 35.9% | 65.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 45.5% | 41.1% | 51.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
- 134 Sweden 44.6% compare
- 135 Chile 44.2% compare
- 136 Kazakhstan 42.9% compare
- 138 New Zealand 41.9% compare
- 139 Mexico 41.8% compare
- 140 United Arab Emirates 41.1% compare
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 share of cereals allocated to human food in Jamaica?
- Share of cereals allocated to human food in Jamaica was 42.1% 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 cereals allocated to human food recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 95.5% in 1961.
- What is the lowest share of cereals allocated to human food recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.9% in 2016.
- How does Jamaica rank for share of cereals allocated to human food?
- Jamaica ranks 137th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of cereals allocated to human food rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 cereals allocated to human food. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of cereals available for domestic use – after accounting for trade – that is allocated to direct human consumption, relative to the total used for human food, animal feed, and industrial purposes. This excludes cereals used for seed, processing, and losses.