Urban population in Jamaica
Jamaica: Urban population was 1.69 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Jamaica, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Jamaica is 1.69 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Jamaica peaked at 1.69 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 490,876, in 1960.
That places Jamaica 140th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 490,876 | — |
| 1961 | 514,415 | +4.8% |
| 1962 | 541,293 | +5.2% |
| 1963 | 570,772 | +5.4% |
| 1964 | 602,121 | +5.5% |
| 1965 | 634,213 | +5.3% |
| 1966 | 666,061 | +5.0% |
| 1967 | 696,976 | +4.6% |
| 1968 | 726,239 | +4.2% |
| 1969 | 753,338 | +3.7% |
| 1970 | 778,084 | +3.3% |
| 1971 | 802,438 | +3.1% |
| 1972 | 827,666 | +3.1% |
| 1973 | 853,478 | +3.1% |
| 1974 | 879,029 | +3.0% |
| 1975 | 903,530 | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 926,945 | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 949,166 | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 970,390 | +2.2% |
| 1979 | 991,177 | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 1.01 million | +2.1% |
| 1981 | 1.03 million | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 1.05 million | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 1.07 million | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 1.09 million | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 1.11 million | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 1.13 million | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 1.14 million | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 1.15 million | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 1.16 million | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 1.18 million | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 1.19 million | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 1.21 million | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 1.23 million | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 1.25 million | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 1.26 million | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 1.28 million | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 1.30 million | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 1.32 million | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 1.33 million | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 1.35 million | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 1.36 million | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 1.38 million | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 1.39 million | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 1.40 million | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 1.42 million | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 1.43 million | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 1.44 million | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 1.45 million | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 1.47 million | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 1.48 million | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 1.49 million | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 1.50 million | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 1.52 million | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 1.53 million | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 1.55 million | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 1.56 million | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 1.57 million | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 1.59 million | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 1.60 million | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 1.62 million | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 1.63 million | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 1.65 million | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 1.66 million | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 1.67 million | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 1.69 million | +0.8% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 1.69 million is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.10 million, 41% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 1.69 million is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2.35 million, 72% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 619,630 | 490,876 | 753,338 | 10 |
| 1970s | 888,190 | 778,084 | 991,177 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.10 million | 1.01 million | 1.16 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.25 million | 1.18 million | 1.33 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.41 million | 1.35 million | 1.47 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.54 million | 1.48 million | 1.60 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.65 million | 1.62 million | 1.69 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More climate change data for Jamaica
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 6.29 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 927.88 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 280.05 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 647.83 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1.06 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 23.14 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 37.75 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 35.64 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2.11 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.1345 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Jamaica?
- Urban population in Jamaica was 1.69 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 1.69 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 490,876 in 1960.
- How does Jamaica rank for urban population?
- Jamaica ranks 140th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.