Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in Jamaica

Jamaica: Value of imported goods as a share of GDP was 41.8% in 2014. ▲ Rising

Latest (2014)
41.8%
Change on year
down 2.8%
World rank
85th
of 193 countries
All-time high
61.4%
in 2008
All-time low
16.4%
in 1942
Years of data
78
1929–2014

Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in Jamaica, 1929–2014

2030405060192919712014

Source: Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Jamaica recorded 41.8% for value of imported goods as a share of gdp in 2014.

The figure is down 2.8% on the previous year and up 7.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Jamaica peaked at 61.4% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 16.4%, in 1942.

Jamaica ranks 85th of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 78 years of available data.

Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in Jamaica, year by year

Annual values for Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in Jamaica, 1929 to 2014.
Year % Change
1929 37.6%
1930 32.8% -12.7%
1931 27.6% -15.8%
1932 28.4% +3.0%
1933 26.6% -6.4%
1934 29.6% +11.2%
1935 30.0% +1.3%
1936 30.0% +0.1%
1937 32.8% +9.3%
1938 32.8% -0.1%
1942 16.4% -50.0%
1943 17.8% +8.6%
1946 19.5% +9.3%
1950 27.7% +42.5%
1951 32.8% +18.4%
1952 34.4% +4.7%
1953 29.7% -13.7%
1954 28.7% -3.2%
1955 30.9% +7.7%
1956 33.7% +9.0%
1957 31.9% -5.3%
1958 30.0% -6.0%
1959 31.3% +4.2%
1960 30.9% -1.1%
1961 28.1% -9.0%
1962 28.7% +1.9%
1963 27.3% -4.9%
1964 31.4% +15.1%
1965 30.3% -3.3%
1966 29.3% -3.4%
1967 30.3% +3.6%
1968 35.3% +16.4%
1969 37.1% +5.0%
1970 37.4% +0.8%
1971 36.1% -3.4%
1972 32.6% -9.9%
1973 34.9% +7.0%
1974 39.4% +13.0%
1975 39.3% -0.3%
1976 31.5% -19.9%
1977 26.5% -15.6%
1978 37.2% +40.3%
1979 41.3% +11.0%
1980 44.0% +6.4%
1981 49.4% +12.4%
1982 41.9% -15.2%
1983 35.4% -15.6%
1984 49.9% +40.9%
1985 54.5% +9.2%
1986 35.2% -35.4%
1987 38.8% +10.2%
1988 39.6% +2.1%
1989 42.8% +8.1%
1990 41.0% -4.3%
1991 44.2% +7.8%
1992 52.5% +19.0%
1993 45.3% -13.7%
1994 44.5% -1.8%
1995 50.0% +12.3%
1996 45.0% -10.0%
1997 41.2% -8.4%
1998 34.3% -16.7%
1999 33.6% -2.2%
2000 37.0% +10.3%
2001 37.4% +1.1%
2002 36.8% -1.7%
2003 39.1% +6.2%
2004 38.9% -0.3%
2005 44.6% +14.4%
2006 48.3% +8.4%
2007 49.7% +2.8%
2008 61.4% +23.6%
2009 42.3% -31.1%
2010 39.6% -6.4%
2011 44.2% +11.6%
2012 42.7% -3.4%
2013 43.0% +0.6%
2014 41.8% -2.8%

Jamaica compared with similar countries

  • Jamaica's 41.8% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 41.9%, 100% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
  • Jamaica's 41.8% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 41.0%, 1.0× the median. (34 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1920s 37.6% 37.6% 37.6% 1
1930s 30.1% 26.6% 32.8% 9
1940s 17.9% 16.4% 19.5% 3
1950s 31.1% 27.7% 34.4% 10
1960s 30.9% 27.3% 37.1% 10
1970s 35.6% 26.5% 41.3% 10
1980s 43.1% 35.2% 54.5% 10
1990s 43.2% 33.6% 52.5% 10
2000s 43.5% 36.8% 61.4% 10
2010s 42.3% 39.6% 44.2% 5

Countries ranked near Jamaica

  1. 82 Mauritius 42.8% compare
  2. 83 El Salvador 42.0% compare
  3. 84 Brunei 41.9% compare
  4. 86 Poland 41.8% compare
  5. 87 Faroe Islands 41.7% compare
  6. 88 Guinea-Bissau 41.5% compare

See the full ranking of 193 places →

More economy & growth data for Jamaica

All data for Jamaica →

Frequently asked questions

What is value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Jamaica?
Value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Jamaica was 41.8% in 2014, according to Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest value of imported goods as a share of gdp recorded in Jamaica?
The highest recorded value was 61.4% in 2008.
What is the lowest value of imported goods as a share of gdp recorded in Jamaica?
The lowest recorded value was 16.4% in 1942.
How does Jamaica rank for value of imported goods as a share of gdp?
Jamaica ranks 85th out of 193 countries with data for 2014.
Is value of imported goods as a share of gdp rising or falling in Jamaica?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Jamaica data come from?
The figures come from Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Value of imported goods as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in Jamaica. Statizoid, drawing on Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/merchandise-imports-gdp-cepii/jamaica/

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About this data

Indicator
Value of imported goods as a share of GDP
Unit
%
Source
Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
193 places, 12,772 data points, 1827–2014
Last refreshed

Estimates correspond to merchandise import-to-GDP ratios for countries and regions. All ratios are taken at current prices. See source for more details.