Poverty and living standards in Saint James, Jamaica: official figures
An estimated 10.7% of people in Saint James lived below the poverty line in 2012, against 19.8% for Jamaica; 2nd lowest of 13 (PIOJ/STATIN poverty mapping from the 2011 census and 2012 survey).
How many people in Saint James cannot afford enough food?
An estimated 3.4% of people in Saint James lived in food poverty (consumption below the food poverty line) in 2012, against 7.2% nationally; 2nd lowest of 13.
Source: Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica · saved copyIs poverty in Saint James higher than the national average?
Saint james' 2012 poverty estimate was 9.1 percentage points below the national rate of 19.8%.
Source: Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica · saved copyHow many people in Saint James are poor?
Applying the estimated poverty rate to the 2011 census population gives roughly 19,700 people in poverty in Saint James in 2012, of whom roughly 6,200 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 James?
Direct estimates from the 2012 Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions put poverty in Saint James at 11.1% and food poverty at 3.1%, compared with the model-based 10.7% and 3.4%.
Source: Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica · saved copyHow deep is poverty in Saint James?
Food poverty affected about 32% as many people as total poverty in Saint James in 2012 (Jamaica: 36%).
Source: Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica · saved copyHow Saint James compares with other parishs
Population in poverty (estimate) (2012)
Saint James ranks 12 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)
Saint James ranks 12 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Population in food poverty (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 13 | Hanover | 3.0% |
More on Saint James: 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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