Jamaica

In Jamaica, Pentecostalist-style churches dominate the religious landscape. Catholic churches almost always incorporate some element of Pentecostalist or charismatic worship, though the degree seems to vary by social class. Music is very important to worship and considered itself a religious experience. Catholicism also is deeply influenced by Afro-Jamaican cultural beliefs, particularly beliefs about witchcraft, spirits and possession.

The articles here focus Catholic life and practice in the metropolitan area around Kingston, the nation’s capital, including the civil parishes of St. Andrew and St. Catherine. About 2/3 of the island’s Catholics live in this area. The country towns in different parts of the island have long had a slightly different rhythm, and the tourist areas around Montego Bay are differently impacted by the daily influx of North American tourists. Read more...

Religious Affiliation
Chart source: Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, 2010
Total Population
2,898,677 1
Urban
55.70% 1
Rural
44.30% 1
Immigrants as % of Population
0.8% 2
Homicides
43.21 per 100,000 people (global median 6.9) 3
Level of Public Corruption
83 (1=lowest, 176=highest corruption) 4
Gender Equality in the Economy, Health, Education and Politics
42 (1=most equal, 144=least equal) 7
Fertility Rate
2.03 births per adult woman 5
Children Who Do Not Live to Age 5
1.60% 5
Life Expectancy at Birth
76 years 5
Adult Literacy Rate
87.90% 5
Internet Users
41% 5
Gross National Income per Capita
US$5,150 5
Population Living Below US$1.90 per Day
1.7% 5

These statistics are derived from the Vatican's official publication, Statistical Yearbook of the Church 2020 (Vatican City: Librera Editrice Vaticana, 2022). The numbers may differ from data reported by other sources on this site.

Baptized Catholics
71,000
Baptized Catholics as % of Total Population
2.60
Baptisms per Year (Under age 7)
316
Baptisms per Year (Over age 7)
171
First Communions per Year
249
Confirmations per Year
242
Students Enrolled in Catholic Primary Schools
20,580
Students Enrolled in Catholic Secondary Schools
16,901
Students Enrolled in Catholic Higher Education
1,211
Church Marriages per Year
53
Church Marriages in Which Both Spouses are Catholics
18
Priests
88
Women Religious (Nuns & Sisters)
130
Catholics per Priest
803
Parishes
63
Mission Stations (no resident priests)
7
Homes for Aged, Handicapped, Invalids
18

Articles

Introduction: Reconciling religion and culture in Jamaica
Words stronger than images in Jamaica
Mourning on 'nine night' a Jamaican way
Realities of family life contrast with Jamaicans' professed ideals
Migration affects Afro-Jamaican identity
Music as a religious experience in Jamaica
Obeah, duppies and the spirit world in Jamaica
Jamaican devotion at shrines and pilgrimages uncommon
Music and movement embody Jamaican worship
Charismatic styles infuse Catholic practice in Jamaica
Jamaica's lay organizations are parish-sponsored
In Jamaica, devotion to Mary is common, but Jesus is the way
  • 1 United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2018). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2018 Revision, Online Edition.
  • 2 United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Trends in International Migrant Stock: The 2015 revision.
  • 3 United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, Homicide Statistics 2015.
  • 4 Transparency International, Corruption Perceptions Index 2016.
  • 5 UNICEF, State of the World's Children, 2016.
  • 6 Statistical Yearbook of the Church 2020 (Vatican City: Librera Editrice Vaticana, 2022).
  • 7 World Economic Forum, The Global Gender Gap Report, 2016.