Central government debt, total in Jamaica
Jamaica: Central government debt, total was 97.9% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Central government debt, total in Jamaica, 1990–2020
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Jamaica recorded 97.9% for central government debt, total in 2020.
That represents a change of up 14.1% on the previous year and down 28.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, central government debt, total in Jamaica peaked at 232.8% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 72.3%, in 1996.
Jamaica ranks 10th of 83 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Central government debt, total in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 138.7% | — |
| 1991 | 232.8% | +67.8% |
| 1992 | 123.6% | -46.9% |
| 1993 | 112.2% | -9.2% |
| 1994 | 94.7% | -15.6% |
| 1995 | 83.9% | -11.4% |
| 1996 | 72.3% | -13.8% |
| 1997 | 73.7% | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 81.7% | +10.8% |
| 1999 | 89.0% | +8.9% |
| 2000 | 98.3% | +10.5% |
| 2001 | 117.5% | +19.5% |
| 2002 | 127.8% | +8.7% |
| 2003 | 127.4% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 122.0% | -4.3% |
| 2005 | 121.0% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 117.7% | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 113.0% | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 120.3% | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 134.7% | +11.9% |
| 2010 | 136.2% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 134.0% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 137.9% | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 135.9% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 132.4% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 118.2% | -10.7% |
| 2016 | 115.9% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 96.1% | -17.0% |
| 2019 | 85.8% | -10.8% |
| 2020 | 97.9% | +14.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 110.2% | 72.3% | 232.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 120.0% | 98.3% | 134.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 121.4% | 85.8% | 137.9% | 9 |
| 2020s | 97.9% | 97.9% | 97.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More economy & growth data for Jamaica
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.76 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.6 Percent per annum (2029)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), annual 15.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 13.91 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 111,319 current LCU per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 2.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.0497 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 397.73 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant LCU) 2.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant LCU), per 5.81 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is central government debt, total in Jamaica?
- Central government debt, total in Jamaica was 97.9% in 2020, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest central government debt, total recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 232.8% in 1991.
- What is the lowest central government debt, total recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 72.3% in 1996.
- How does Jamaica rank for central government debt, total?
- Jamaica ranks 10th out of 83 countries with data for 2020.
- Is central government debt, total rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Central government debt, total (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year. Central government is the part of general government that includes all administrative departments of the national executive, legislative, and judicial functions, other central agencies and those non-market producers controlled by the central government, whose competence extends normally over the whole economic territory. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.