Poverty and living standards in Portland, Jamaica: official figures
An estimated 15.3% of people in Portland lived below the poverty line in 2012, against 19.8% for Jamaica; 4th lowest of 13 (PIOJ/STATIN poverty mapping from the 2011 census and 2012 survey).
How many people in Portland cannot afford enough food?
An estimated 5.6% of people in Portland lived in food poverty (consumption below the food poverty line) in 2012, against 7.2% nationally; joint 4th lowest of 13.
Source: Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica · saved copyIs poverty in Portland higher than the national average?
Portland's 2012 poverty estimate was 4.5 percentage points below the national rate of 19.8%.
Source: Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica · saved copyHow many people in Portland are poor?
Applying the estimated poverty rate to the 2011 census population gives roughly 12,500 people in poverty in Portland in 2012, of whom roughly 4,600 were in food poverty.
Source: Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica · saved copyWhat does the living conditions survey say about poverty in Portland?
Direct estimates from the 2012 Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions put poverty in Portland at 21.5% and food poverty at 11.4%, compared with the model-based 15.3% and 5.6%.
Source: Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica · saved copyHow deep is poverty in Portland?
Food poverty affected about 37% as many people as total poverty in Portland in 2012 (Jamaica: 36%).
Source: Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica · saved copyHow Portland compares with other parishs
Population in poverty (estimate) (2012)
Portland ranks 10 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Population in poverty (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Trelawny | 17.9% |
| 8 | Westmoreland | 16.7% |
| 9 | Saint Ann | 15.8% |
| 10 | Portland | 15.3% |
| 11 | Saint Mary | 14.8% |
| 12 | Saint James | 10.7% |
| 13 | Hanover | 10.4% |
Population in food poverty (estimate) (2012)
Portland ranks 9 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Population in food poverty (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Saint Andrew And Kingston | 6.6% |
| 7 | Westmoreland | 6.4% |
| 8 | Trelawny | 6.3% |
| 9 | Portland | 5.6% |
| 10 | Saint Ann | 5.6% |
| 11 | Saint Mary | 4.8% |
| 12 | Saint James | 3.4% |
More on Portland: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · Jamaica
Sources
- Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica: Mapping Poverty Indicators: Consumption Based Poverty in Jamaica (2019), Table 2: predicted poverty and mean consumption by parish (pages 7-8 of the report, saved as a 2-page extract because the full file is 93 MB), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 2aa1dcb644c0…)
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