Poverty and living standards in Saint Catherine, Jamaica: official figures
An estimated 22.7% of people in Saint Catherine lived below the poverty line in 2012, against 19.8% for Jamaica; 5th highest of 13 (PIOJ/STATIN poverty mapping from the 2011 census and 2012 survey).
How many people in Saint Catherine cannot afford enough food?
An estimated 8.9% of people in Saint Catherine lived in food poverty (consumption below the food poverty line) in 2012, against 7.2% nationally; 4th highest of 13.
Source: Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica · saved copyIs poverty in Saint Catherine higher than the national average?
Saint catherine's 2012 poverty estimate was 2.9 percentage points above the national rate of 19.8%.
Source: Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica · saved copyHow many people in Saint Catherine are poor?
Applying the estimated poverty rate to the 2011 census population gives roughly 117,200 people in poverty in Saint Catherine in 2012, of whom roughly 45,900 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 Saint Catherine?
Direct estimates from the 2012 Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions put poverty in Saint Catherine at 24.0% and food poverty at 10.1%, compared with the model-based 22.7% and 8.9%.
Source: Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica · saved copyHow deep is poverty in Saint Catherine?
Food poverty affected about 39% as many people as total poverty in Saint Catherine in 2012 (Jamaica: 36%).
Source: Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica · saved copyHow Saint Catherine compares with other parishs
Population in poverty (estimate) (2012)
Saint Catherine ranks 5 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Population in poverty (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Saint Elizabeth | 24.4% |
| 3 | Manchester | 24.3% |
| 4 | Clarendon | 23.8% |
| 5 | Saint Catherine | 22.7% |
| 6 | Saint Andrew And Kingston | 19.8% |
| 7 | Trelawny | 17.9% |
| 8 | Westmoreland | 16.7% |
Population in food poverty (estimate) (2012)
Saint Catherine ranks 4 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Population in food poverty (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint Thomas | 15.2% |
| 2 | Saint Elizabeth | 9.8% |
| 3 | Manchester | 9.7% |
| 4 | Saint Catherine | 8.9% |
| 5 | Clarendon | 8.7% |
| 6 | Saint Andrew And Kingston | 6.6% |
| 7 | Westmoreland | 6.4% |
More on Saint Catherine: 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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