Poverty and living standards in Saint Thomas, Jamaica: official figures
An estimated 32.5% of people in Saint Thomas lived below the poverty line in 2012, against 19.8% for Jamaica; the highest of 13 (PIOJ/STATIN poverty mapping from the 2011 census and 2012 survey).
How many people in Saint Thomas cannot afford enough food?
An estimated 15.2% of people in Saint Thomas lived in food poverty (consumption below the food poverty line) in 2012, against 7.2% nationally; the highest of 13.
Source: Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica · saved copyIs poverty in Saint Thomas higher than the national average?
Saint thomas' 2012 poverty estimate was 12.7 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 Thomas are poor?
Applying the estimated poverty rate to the 2011 census population gives roughly 30,500 people in poverty in Saint Thomas in 2012, of whom roughly 14,300 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 Thomas?
Direct estimates from the 2012 Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions put poverty in Saint Thomas at 32.5% and food poverty at 14.0%, compared with the model-based 32.5% and 15.2%.
Source: Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica · saved copyHow deep is poverty in Saint Thomas?
Food poverty affected about 47% as many people as total poverty in Saint Thomas in 2012 (Jamaica: 36%).
Source: Planning Institute of Jamaica and Statistical Institute of Jamaica · saved copyHow Saint Thomas compares with other parishs
Population in poverty (estimate) (2012)
Saint Thomas ranks 1 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Population in poverty (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint Thomas | 32.5% |
| 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% |
Population in food poverty (estimate) (2012)
Saint Thomas ranks 1 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 Thomas: 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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