At the end of 2024, Jamaica’s population showed a slight decline and continued demographic shifts, according to the latest Economic and Social Survey Jamaica 2024 (ESSJ), published by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ).
The report revealed that the island’s population stood at approximately 2,700,400 people, representing an estimated 0.1 per cent decrease compared to previous figures. Of this total, there were about 1,363,700 women and 1,336,700 men, leaving the Jamaican population with roughly 27,000 more women than men.
Jamaica’s demographic profile is moving deeper into what the ESSJ describes as “features associated with the later stages of the demographic transition, which includes the simultaneous occurrence of low fertility and low mortality rates, leading to low or negative population growth rates.”
A significant factor in this shift is the continued decline in the child population, specifically those aged zero to 14 years. The report pointed to this decrease as part of broader trends affecting the country’s population structure.
“This, coupled with net migration loss, below replacement level fertility rates and population ageing, have negatively impacted the population structure leading to a negative population growth rate,” the ESSJ stated.
These demographic changes pose important considerations for policy planning and economic development as Jamaica navigates this evolving population landscape.
