Jamaica

Jamaica
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	43rd best
Capital	Kingston
Land Area	10 830km21
Location	North America, The Americas, Caribbean
Groupings	Small Islands
Population	2.8m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	75.82yrs (2017)3
GNI	$8 350 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	JM, JAM, 3885
Internet Domain	.jm6
Currency	Dollar (JMD)7
Telephone	+8

1. Overview
2. Jamaica National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Gender Equality
5. Religion and Beliefs
6. The Internet
7. Public Health Issues
8. Politics and Freedom
9. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
10. Links

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1. Overview

#jamaica #spain

“The island - discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1494 - was settled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The native Taino, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually exterminated and replaced by African slaves. England seized the island in 1655 and established a plantation economy based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter million slaves, many of whom became small farmers. Jamaica gradually increased its independence from Britain. In 1958 it joined other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federation of the West Indies. Jamaica gained full independence when it withdrew from the Federation in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence as rival gangs affiliated with the major political parties evolved into powerful organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering. Violent crime, drug trafficking, and poverty pose significant challenges to the government today. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Jamaica is a powerfully beautiful country, packed with extremes: experience flat beaches twinned to green mountains, electrifying Kingston and relaxed resorts, sweet reggae and slack dancehall. Jamaica, at first blush, is the Caribbean island many know best thanks to its relentless exposure – its music, dreadlocks, dancehall and beaches.

But did you know there are Chinese Jamaicans and Jewish Jamaicans and white Jamaicans who speak patois as fluently as downtown Kingston yardies? Jamaica, perhaps more than any other Caribbean nation, also keeps one foot rooted in Africa. From the evolution of African folk music into reggae, or the shifting of African spice rubs into delicious jerk, it´s rewarding to see how the Jamaican cultural story retains its original voice whilst adapting it to the setting – and of course, rhythms – of the Caribbean.

Understand the above and you can better appreciate the good, red Jamaican soil; the respect Jamaicans have for life and nature; and the meaning `One Love´ has in a place like the Kingston ghettoes. To know Jamaica, experience it. As locals say, `Rock-stone a river naah know sun hot´. That´s patois for `experience brings knowledge,´ and so much more so on an island that can express such simple proverbs so beautifully.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Jamaica National and Social Development

UN HDI (2016) Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
91	Fiji	91
92	St Lucia	92
93	Mongolia	92
94	Jamaica	94
95	Colombia	95
96	Dominica	96
97	Suriname	97
98	Tunisia	97
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index Higher is better Points12
1	Iceland	84.1
2	Sweden	80.8
3	Norway	80.0
	...
40	Lithuania	62.9
41	Brunei	62.9
42	Slovakia	62.7
43	Jamaica	62.6
44	Mauritius	62.2
45	Cyprus	62.1
46	Barbados	61.9
47	Argentina	61.5
	World Avg	54.5
q=198.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016) Lower is better Per 10013
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
119	St Lucia	19.9
120	Brazil	19.9
121	Argentina	20.3
122	Jamaica	21.0
123	Lebanon	21.1
124	Trinidad & Tobago	21.9
125	Bahamas	22.4
126	Costa Rica	22.6
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010) %14
1	Dominica	104.8
2	Palestine	68.4
3	Samoa	67.3
	...
14	Palau	38.8
15	St Vincent & Grenadines	37.7
16	Cape Verde	37.6
17	Jamaica	36.1
18	Armenia	28.2
19	Trinidad & Tobago	26.7
20	Malta	26.2
21	Georgia	25.1
	World Avg	11.5
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013) 2.0 is best15
1	Korea, N.	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
41	Armenia	1.74
42	Kuwait	2.27
43	Bhutan	2.27
44	Jamaica	2.28
45	Suriname	2.28
46	Uzbekistan	2.29
47	Cape Verde	2.29
48	Estonia	1.71
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Immigrants (2010) %14
1	Qatar	86.5
2	Monaco	71.6
3	UAE	70.0
	...
146	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	1.2
147	Guinea-Bissau	1.2
148	Korea, S.	1.1
149	Jamaica	1.1
150	Equatorial Guinea	1.1
151	Maldives	1.0
152	Cameroon	1.0
153	Tonga	0.8
	World Avg	9.2
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015) Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
57	Ecuador	76.12
58	China	75.96
59	Vietnam	75.94
60	Jamaica	75.82
61	Barbados	75.77
62	Iran	75.58
63	Bahamas	75.56
64	Macedonia	75.53
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
136	Oman	2.9m
137	Kuwait	2.9m
138	Mongolia	2.8m
139	Jamaica	2.8m
140	Namibia	2.4m
141	Latvia	2.2m
142	Lesotho	2.2m
143	Macedonia	2.1m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Jamaica's population is predicted to rise to 2.842 million by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 2.28. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

• The Overpopulation of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception: How Religion is Making Overpopulation Worse

4. Gender Equality

Gender Inequality (2015) Lower is better18
1	Switzerland	0.04
2	Denmark	0.04
3	Netherlands	0.04
	...
90	S. Africa	0.39
91	Kyrgyzstan	0.39
92	Brazil	0.41
93	Jamaica	0.42
94	Algeria	0.43
95	Botswana	0.44
96	Philippines	0.44
97	Samoa	0.44
	World Avg	0.36
q=159.

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better Year19
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
47	Bulgaria	1944
48	France	1944
49	Bermuda	1944
50	Jamaica	1944
51	Slovenia	1945
52	Croatia	1945
53	Italy	1945
54	Senegal	1945
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchialism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.

Jamaica has made some steps towards ending gender inequality but much more needs to be done.

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

5. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Disbelief In God (2007) Higher is better20
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
62	Lebanon	3
63	Congo, (Brazzaville)	3
64	Poland	3
65	Jamaica	3
66	India	3
67	Angola	2
68	Chile	2
69	Central African Rep.	2
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₂₁:

Christian	77.2%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	4.5%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	17.2%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Protestant 62.5% (Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, Pentecostal 9.5%, Other Church of God 8.3%, Baptist 7.2%, New Testament Church of God 6.3%, Church of God in Jamaica 4.8%, Church of God of Prophecy 4.3%, Anglican 3.6%, other Christian 7.7%), Roman Catholic 2.6%, other or unspecified 14.2%, none 20.9%, (2001 census)₂₂.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?

6. The Internet

Internet Users (2016) Higher is better23
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
111	Belize	45%
112	Ukraine	44%
113	Philippines	44%
114	Jamaica	43%
115	Ecuador	43%
116	Thailand	43%
117	Mauritius	43%
118	Cape Verde	43%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017) Higher is better Ratio24
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
169	Cuba	0.0
170	St Vincent & Grenadines	0.0
171	Montenegro	0.0
172	Libya	0.0
173	Jamaica	0.0
174	Fiji	0.0
175	Jordan	0.0
176	Barbados	0.0
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

Internet access has become an essential research tool. It facilitates an endless list of life improvements, from the ability to network and socialize without constraint, to access to a seemingly infinite repository of technical and procedural information on pretty much any task. The universal availability of data has sped up industrial development and personal learning at the national and personal level. Individuals can read any topic they wish regardless of the locality of expert teachers, and, entire nations can develop their technology and understanding of the world simply because they are now exposed to advanced societies and moral discourses online. Like every communications medium, the Internet has issues and causes a small range of problems, but these are insignificant compared to the advantages of having an online populace.

7. Public Health Issues

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015) Lower is better Per 100018
1	Korea, N.	0.5
2	Korea, S.	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
120	Paraguay	57.4
121	Ethiopia	58.4
122	Palestine	58.6
123	Jamaica	59.7
124	Azerbaijan	59.8
125	Yemen	61.5
126	Philippines	61.7
127	Mexico	62.8
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Alcohol Consumption (2010) Lower is better Per Capita25
1	Libya	0.1
2	Pakistan	0.1
3	Kuwait	0.1
	...
77	Uzbekistan	4.6
78	Liberia	4.7
79	Ghana	4.8
80	Jamaica	4.9
81	Nicaragua	5.0
82	Cuba	5.2
83	Armenia	5.3
84	Costa Rica	5.4
	World Avg	6.2
q=191.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015) Higher is better Avg %26
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
114	Moldova	91.5
115	Iceland	91.5
116	Trinidad & Tobago	91.4
117	Jamaica	90.9
118	Burkina Faso	90.6
119	Nepal	90.1
120	Montenegro	89.9
121	Zimbabwe	89.7
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Smoking Rates (2014) Lower is better27
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
93	Oman	577
94	Malaysia	584
95	Seychelles	590
96	Jamaica	593
97	Korea, N.	610
98	Fiji	618
99	Cambodia	645
100	Equatorial Guinea	649
	World Avg	819
q=182.

8. Politics and Freedom

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009) Higher is better Treaties28
1	Argentina	24
2	Chile	23
3	Costa Rica	23
	...
112	Dominican Rep.	14
113	Kenya	14
114	Japan	14
115	Jamaica	14
116	Jordan	14
117	China	14
118	Mauritius	14
119	Botswana	14
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom (2014) Lower is better Rank29
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
57	Suriname	55
58	El Salvador	58
59	Ghana	59
60	Jamaica	60
61	Haiti	61
62	Fiji	61
63	Dominican Rep.	63
64	Cambodia	64
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Press Freedom (2013) Lower is better30
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
	...
10	Sweden	923
11	Estonia	926
12	Austria	940
13	Jamaica	988
14	Switzerland	994
15	Ireland	1006
16	Czech Rep.	1017
17	Germany	1024
	World Avg	3249
q=178.

9. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries