Expense in Jamaica

Jamaica: Expense was 27.5% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
27.5%
Change on year
up 14.5%
World rank
72nd
of 157 countries
All-time high
36.3%
in 2009
All-time low
18.7%
in 1993
Years of data
33
1988–2020

Expense in Jamaica, 1988–2020

0102030401988200420201988: 24.4 % of GDP1989: 24.3 % of GDP1990: 22.6 % of GDP1991: 21.4 % of GDP1992: 20.1 % of GDP1993: 18.7 % of GDP1994: 19.1 % of GDP1995: 19.2 % of GDP1996: 23.4 % of GDP1997: 24.2 % of GDP1998: 26.4 % of GDP1999: 26.9 % of GDP2000: 24.7 % of GDP2001: 26.9 % of GDP2002: 30 % of GDP2003: 31.8 % of GDP2004: 30.3 % of GDP2005: 27.5 % of GDP2006: 28.6 % of GDP2007: 28.6 % of GDP2008: 31.1 % of GDP2009: 36.3 % of GDP2010: 28.9 % of GDP2011: 28.2 % of GDP2012: 27.5 % of GDP2013: 25 % of GDP2014: 25.7 % of GDP2015: 24.5 % of GDP2016: 24.8 % of GDP2017: 25 % of GDP2018: 24.8 % of GDP2019: 24 % of GDP2020: 27.5 % of GDP

Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

Jamaica recorded 27.5% for expense in 2020.

The figure is up 14.5% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, expense in Jamaica peaked at 36.3% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 18.7%, in 1993.

That places Jamaica 72nd out of 157 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.

Expense in Jamaica, year by year

Annual values for Expense (% of GDP) in Jamaica, 1988 to 2020.
Year % of GDP Change
1988 24.4%
1989 24.3% -0.8%
1990 22.6% -6.6%
1991 21.4% -5.6%
1992 20.1% -6.0%
1993 18.7% -7.0%
1994 19.1% +2.2%
1995 19.2% +0.7%
1996 23.4% +21.7%
1997 24.2% +3.6%
1998 26.4% +8.8%
1999 26.9% +1.8%
2000 24.7% -7.8%
2001 26.9% +8.6%
2002 30.0% +11.6%
2003 31.8% +6.1%
2004 30.3% -4.9%
2005 27.5% -9.3%
2006 28.6% +4.3%
2007 28.6% -0.2%
2008 31.1% +8.9%
2009 36.3% +16.8%
2010 28.9% -20.4%
2011 28.2% -2.4%
2012 27.5% -2.4%
2013 25.0% -9.1%
2014 25.7% +2.7%
2015 24.5% -4.8%
2016 24.8% +1.2%
2017 25.0% +1.0%
2018 24.8% -0.9%
2019 24.0% -3.3%
2020 27.5% +14.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 24.3% 24.3% 24.4% 2
1990s 22.2% 18.7% 26.9% 10
2000s 29.6% 24.7% 36.3% 10
2010s 25.8% 24.0% 28.9% 10
2020s 27.5% 27.5% 27.5% 1

Countries ranked near Jamaica

  1. 69 Fiji 27.8% compare
  2. 70 Iraq 27.6% compare
  3. 71 Australia 27.6% compare
  4. 73 Saint Kitts and Nevis 26.7% compare
  5. 74 Samoa 26.7% compare
  6. 75 Vanuatu 26.6% compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More economy & growth data for Jamaica

All data for Jamaica →

Frequently asked questions

What is expense in Jamaica?
Expense in Jamaica was 27.5% in 2020, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest expense recorded in Jamaica?
The highest recorded value was 36.3% in 2009.
What is the lowest expense recorded in Jamaica?
The lowest recorded value was 18.7% in 1993.
How does Jamaica rank for expense?
Jamaica ranks 72nd out of 157 countries with data for 2020.
Is expense rising or falling in Jamaica?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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 Expense (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Expense in Jamaica. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/expense-percent-of-gdp/jamaica/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/expense-percent-of-gdp/jamaica/">Expense in Jamaica</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Expense (% of GDP)
Unit
% of GDP
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
183 places, 5,211 data points, 1972–2024
Last refreshed

Expense is a decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction. 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.