What is democracy in Jamaica?

Democracy in Jamaica was 2 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest democracy recorded in Jamaica?

The highest recorded value was 2 in 1959.

What is the lowest democracy recorded in Jamaica?

The lowest recorded value was 2 in 1959.

How does Jamaica rank for democracy?

Jamaica ranks 1st out of 168 countries with data for 2018.

Is democracy rising or falling in Jamaica?

Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.

Where does this Jamaica data come from?

The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Democracy in Jamaica

Name: Democracy in Jamaica
Creator: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Jamaica: Democracy was 2 in 2018. ▬ Flat

Latest (2018)

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

1st

of 168 countries

All-time high

in 1959

All-time low

in 1959

Years of data

1959–2018

Democracy in Jamaica, 1959–2018

Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Jamaica recorded 2 for democracy in 2018. That is the highest value across all 60 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, democracy in Jamaica peaked at 2 in 1959 and was at its lowest, 2, in 1959.

That places Jamaica 1st out of 168 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.

Democracy in Jamaica, year by year

Annual values for Democracy in Jamaica, 1959 to 2018.
Year	Value	Change
1959	2	—
1960	2	+0.0%
1961	2	+0.0%
1962	2	+0.0%
1963	2	+0.0%
1964	2	+0.0%
1965	2	+0.0%
1966	2	+0.0%
1967	2	+0.0%
1968	2	+0.0%
1969	2	+0.0%
1970	2	+0.0%
1971	2	+0.0%
1972	2	+0.0%
1973	2	+0.0%
1974	2	+0.0%
1975	2	+0.0%
1976	2	+0.0%
1977	2	+0.0%
1978	2	+0.0%
1979	2	+0.0%
1980	2	+0.0%
1981	2	+0.0%
1982	2	+0.0%
1983	2	+0.0%
1984	2	+0.0%
1985	2	+0.0%
1986	2	+0.0%
1987	2	+0.0%
1988	2	+0.0%
1989	2	+0.0%
1990	2	+0.0%
1991	2	+0.0%
1992	2	+0.0%
1993	2	+0.0%
1994	2	+0.0%
1995	2	+0.0%
1996	2	+0.0%
1997	2	+0.0%
1998	2	+0.0%
1999	2	+0.0%
2000	2	+0.0%
2001	2	+0.0%
2002	2	+0.0%
2003	2	+0.0%
2004	2	+0.0%
2005	2	+0.0%
2006	2	+0.0%
2007	2	+0.0%
2008	2	+0.0%
2009	2	+0.0%
2010	2	+0.0%
2011	2	+0.0%
2012	2	+0.0%
2013	2	+0.0%
2014	2	+0.0%
2015	2	+0.0%
2016	2	+0.0%
2017	2	+0.0%
2018	2	+0.0%

Jamaica compared with similar countries

Jamaica's 2 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Jamaica's 2 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2, 1.0× the median. (24 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1950s	2	2	2	1
1960s	2	2	2	10
1970s	2	2	2	10
1980s	2	2	2	10
1990s	2	2	2	10
2000s	2	2	2	10
2010s	2	2	2	9

Countries ranked near Jamaica

See the full ranking of 168 places →

More reference data data for Jamaica

Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.045 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1808 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.2582 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0003 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.2582 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1508 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0583 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.8486 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.19 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0015 (2050)

All data for Jamaica →

Frequently asked questions

What is democracy in Jamaica?: Democracy in Jamaica was 2 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest democracy recorded in Jamaica?: The highest recorded value was 2 in 1959.
What is the lowest democracy recorded in Jamaica?: The lowest recorded value was 2 in 1959.
How does Jamaica rank for democracy?: Jamaica ranks 1st out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
Is democracy rising or falling in Jamaica?: Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Jamaica data come from?: The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Democracy in Jamaica. Statizoid, drawing on Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/political-regime-polity/jamaica/

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About this data

Indicator: Democracy
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 168 places, 18,392 data points, 1776–2020
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Identifies the political regime of a country using the Polity 5 data by the Center for Systemic Peace. It distinguishes between autocracies (score 0), anocracies (score 1), and democracies (score 2).