Jamaica’s Birth Rate Declines as Deaths and Migration Rise: Census Shows 2.7m Population

Jamaica’s population is around 2,774,538, representing a 2.8 per cent increase over the 2011 census figure, according to newly released data from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN).

However, the national census results reveal that the country’s population growth has slowed significantly, with declining birth rates, higher deaths, and increased migration contributing to the trend.

Speaking at Wednesday’s press briefing at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston, STATIN Director General Leesha Delatie-Budair noted that although Jamaica’s population is still growing, it is doing so at its slowest pace in decades.

“We are seeing that births are declining. That has been the trend over several decades. We’re also seeing deaths increasing and net migration. If we continue on this path, we will have a declining population,” she said.

Director of the Censuses, Demographic and Social Statistics Division, Stacy-Ann Robinson, highlighted that the average annual population growth rate of 0.24 per cent recorded between 2011 and 2022 was the lowest since 1970.

The number of births decreased by 30.1 per cent over the same period, while deaths rose by 44.5 per cent.

STATIN also reported notable population shifts across parishes. St Catherine recorded the largest increase, growing by 26,545 people, followed by Clarendon with 13,540 and Kingston and St Andrew with 10,478.

STATIN identified births, deaths, and migration as the main demographic factors shaping Jamaica’s population dynamics.