Environment
Jamaica
Climate
tropical; warm and humid; temperate inland
Land use
other
5.3% (2023 est.)
forest
56.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
38.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 11.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 6.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 21.1% (2023 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
57.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste generated annually
1.052 million tons (2024 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled
15% (2022 est.)
Environmental issues
high levels of deforestation; coastal waters contaminated by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; harm to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston due to vehicle emissions; soil erosion
Total water withdrawal
municipal
339.867 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
industrial
43.989 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
agricultural
78.972 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
total emissions
7.89 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from consumed natural gas
1.611 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke
239,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids
6.04 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Particulate matter emissions
14.8 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Total renewable water resources
10.823 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
International environmental agreements
party to
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified
none of the selected agreements