Total debt service in Jamaica
Jamaica: Total debt service was 31.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Total debt service in Jamaica, 1976–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of exports of goods, services and primary income.
Analysis
In 2024, total debt service in Jamaica stood at 31.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.3% on the previous year and down 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total debt service in Jamaica peaked at 87.9% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 13.9%, in 1998.
That places Jamaica 13th out of 120 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Total debt service in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % of exports of goods, services and primary income | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 70.3% | — |
| 1977 | 28.4% | -59.6% |
| 1978 | 59.3% | +108.6% |
| 1979 | 24.9% | -58.0% |
| 1980 | 19.8% | -20.3% |
| 1981 | 25.6% | +29.1% |
| 1982 | 26.5% | +3.5% |
| 1983 | 29.9% | +13.0% |
| 1984 | 33.2% | +10.9% |
| 1985 | 40.5% | +22.1% |
| 1986 | 48.0% | +18.4% |
| 1987 | 46.0% | -4.1% |
| 1988 | 41.6% | -9.5% |
| 1989 | 32.0% | -23.1% |
| 1990 | 28.6% | -10.8% |
| 1991 | 30.9% | +8.1% |
| 1992 | 29.8% | -3.4% |
| 1993 | 21.7% | -27.2% |
| 1994 | 18.7% | -13.8% |
| 1995 | 18.9% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 19.0% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 17.8% | -6.5% |
| 1998 | 13.9% | -21.8% |
| 1999 | 16.6% | +19.7% |
| 2000 | 18.8% | +12.7% |
| 2001 | 20.9% | +11.4% |
| 2002 | 24.8% | +18.7% |
| 2003 | 22.5% | -9.3% |
| 2004 | 20.6% | -8.6% |
| 2005 | 22.5% | +9.2% |
| 2006 | 16.1% | -28.2% |
| 2007 | 23.3% | +44.4% |
| 2008 | 19.5% | -16.1% |
| 2009 | 35.0% | +78.9% |
| 2010 | 28.0% | -19.8% |
| 2011 | 36.6% | +30.6% |
| 2012 | 37.4% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 26.3% | -29.7% |
| 2014 | 33.6% | +27.8% |
| 2015 | 87.9% | +161.9% |
| 2016 | 40.3% | -54.2% |
| 2017 | 27.0% | -33.0% |
| 2018 | 23.8% | -11.7% |
| 2019 | 86.0% | +261.0% |
| 2020 | 51.1% | -40.6% |
| 2021 | 29.1% | -43.1% |
| 2022 | 22.6% | -22.3% |
| 2023 | 38.0% | +68.3% |
| 2024 | 31.9% | -16.3% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 31.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 14.4%, 2.2× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 31.9% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 19.8%, 1.6× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Total debt service 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +261.0% | 23.8% | 86.0% |
| 2015 | +161.9% | 33.6% | 87.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 45.7% | 24.9% | 70.3% | 4 |
| 1980s | 34.3% | 19.8% | 48.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.6% | 13.9% | 30.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.4% | 16.1% | 35.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.7% | 23.8% | 87.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.5% | 22.6% | 51.1% | 5 |
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)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 1.07 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 0.3763 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 305.08 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -38.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0139 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 107.45 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 11.9 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total debt service in Jamaica?
- Total debt service in Jamaica was 31.9% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest total debt service recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 87.9% in 2015.
- What is the lowest total debt service recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.9% in 1998.
- How does Jamaica rank for total debt service?
- Jamaica ranks 13th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is total debt service rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as part of Total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total debt service to exports of goods, services and primary income. Total debt service is the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt, interest paid on short-term debt, and repayments (repurchases and charges) to the IMF.