Population by labor force status in Jamaica

Jamaica: Population by labor force status was 518,758 people in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
518,758 people
Change on year
down 2.3%
World rank
143rd
of 186 countries
All-time high
881,555 people
in 1997
All-time low
518,758 people
in 2025
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Population by labor force status in Jamaica, 1991–2025

0200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k1991200820251991: 852.1k people1992: 857.5k people1993: 865.5k people1994: 872.3k people1995: 877.6k people1996: 880.9k people1997: 881.6k people1998: 879.2k people1999: 874.1k people2000: 866.9k people2001: 858.6k people2002: 850.2k people2003: 841.6k people2004: 832.5k people2005: 822.1k people2006: 809.2k people2007: 793.8k people2008: 776.7k people2009: 758.8k people2010: 740.7k people2011: 722.5k people2012: 704.5k people2013: 687.2k people2014: 670.9k people2015: 655.9k people2016: 641.7k people2017: 627.0k people2018: 611.8k people2019: 596.5k people2020: 582.2k people2021: 568.9k people2022: 555.9k people2023: 543.4k people2024: 531.0k people2025: 518.8k people

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

In 2025, population by labor force status in Jamaica stood at 518,758 people. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.

The figure is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 20.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population by labor force status in Jamaica peaked at 881,555 people in 1997 and was at its lowest, 518,758 people, in 2025.

Jamaica ranks 143rd of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 871,198 people 852,134 people 881,555 people 9
2000s 821,037 people 758,824 people 866,853 people 10
2010s 665,872 people 596,496 people 740,698 people 10
2020s 550,020 people 518,758 people 582,202 people 6

Countries ranked near Jamaica

  1. 140 Moldova 585,267 people compare
  2. 141 Armenia 560,582 people compare
  3. 142 Croatia 527,292 people compare
  4. 144 East Timor 469,743 people compare
  5. 145 Qatar 467,391 people compare
  6. 146 Albania 460,242 people compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More work & labour data for Jamaica

All data for Jamaica →

Frequently asked questions

What is population by labor force status in Jamaica?
Population by labor force status in Jamaica was 518,758 people in 2025, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest population by labor force status recorded in Jamaica?
The highest recorded value was 881,555 people in 1997.
What is the lowest population by labor force status recorded in Jamaica?
The lowest recorded value was 518,758 people in 2025.
How does Jamaica rank for population by labor force status?
Jamaica ranks 143rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is population by labor force status rising or falling in Jamaica?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Jamaica data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Population by labor force status
Unit
people
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,496 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

Population below working age (under 15 years old).