Distribution of Democracy Index in Jamaica
Jamaica: Distribution of Democracy Index was 19 in 2018. ▼ Falling
Distribution of Democracy Index in Jamaica, 1959–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for distribution of democracy index in Jamaica is 19, measured in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 60 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in Jamaica peaked at 20 in 1959 and was at its lowest, 19, in 1993.
Jamaica ranks 33rd of 168 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 60 years of available data.
Distribution of Democracy Index in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | 20 | — |
| 1960 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 19 | -5.0% |
| 1994 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 19 | +0.0% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 19 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 19 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 18, 1.1× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 20 | 20 | 20 | 1 |
| 1960s | 20 | 20 | 20 | 10 |
| 1970s | 20 | 20 | 20 | 10 |
| 1980s | 20 | 20 | 20 | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.3 | 19 | 20 | 10 |
| 2000s | 19 | 19 | 19 | 10 |
| 2010s | 19 | 19 | 19 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
- 33 Albania 19 compare
- 33 Argentina 19 compare
- 33 Bulgaria 19 compare
- 33 Croatia 19 compare
- 33 Czechia 19 compare
- 33 Estonia 19 compare
- 33 India 19 compare
- 33 Indonesia 19 compare
- 33 Kenya 19 compare
- 33 Moldova 19 compare
- 33 Montenegro 19 compare
- 33 North Macedonia 19 compare
- 33 Panama 19 compare
- 33 Paraguay 19 compare
- 33 Peru 19 compare
- 33 Romania 19 compare
- 33 South Africa 19 compare
- 33 Trinidad and Tobago 19 compare
More social development data for Jamaica
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 31 (2022)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,642 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0009 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,642 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2022)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is distribution of democracy index in Jamaica?
- Distribution of democracy index in Jamaica was 19 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of democracy index recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 20 in 1959.
- What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 19 in 1993.
- How does Jamaica rank for distribution of democracy index?
- Jamaica ranks 33rd out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 60 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from 0 to 20 (fully democratic).