Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Jamaica
Jamaica: Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished was 27.8 percent in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Jamaica, 2015–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Jamaica is 27.8 percent, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.5% on the previous year and up 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Jamaica peaked at 27.8 percent in 2023 and was at its lowest, 23 percent, in 2018.
Jamaica ranks 10th of 125 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 24.18 percent | 23 percent | 25.3 percent | 5 |
| 2020s | 25.78 percent | 23.1 percent | 27.8 percent | 4 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More reference data data for Jamaica
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.4942 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.833 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.9087 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.32 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.994 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 233.16 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Jamaica?
- Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Jamaica was 27.8 percent in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 27.8 percent in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 23 percent in 2018.
- How does Jamaica rank for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished?
- Jamaica ranks 10th out of 125 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Both metrics indicate that someone does not get enough food (in terms of calories) to eat: these metrics should be strongly correlated. Severe food insecurity is measured based on food security questionnaires among households. Undernourishment is based on estimates of actual calorie intake across the population.