Poverty and living standards in Saint Mary, Jamaica: official figures
An estimated 14.8% of people in Saint Mary lived below the poverty line in 2012, against 19.8% for Jamaica; 3rd lowest of 13 (PIOJ/STATIN poverty mapping from the 2011 census and 2012 survey).
How many people in Saint Mary cannot afford enough food?
An estimated 4.8% of people in Saint Mary lived in food poverty (consumption below the food poverty line) in 2012, against 7.2% nationally; 3rd lowest of 13.
Source: Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica · saved copyIs poverty in Saint Mary higher than the national average?
Saint mary's 2012 poverty estimate was 5.0 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 Mary are poor?
Applying the estimated poverty rate to the 2011 census population gives roughly 16,800 people in poverty in Saint Mary in 2012, of whom roughly 5,500 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 Mary?
Direct estimates from the 2012 Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions put poverty in Saint Mary at 9.4% and food poverty at 1.8%, compared with the model-based 14.8% and 4.8%.
Source: Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica · saved copyHow deep is poverty in Saint Mary?
Food poverty affected about 32% as many people as total poverty in Saint Mary in 2012 (Jamaica: 36%).
Source: Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica · saved copyHow Saint Mary compares with other parishs
Population in poverty (estimate) (2012)
Saint Mary ranks 11 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 Mary ranks 11 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 Mary: 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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