Water withdrawals per capita in Jamaica
Jamaica: Water withdrawals per capita was 162.98 cubic meters per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Water withdrawals per capita in Jamaica, 1993–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters per person.
Analysis
Jamaica recorded 162.98 cubic meters per person for water withdrawals per capita in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 69.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, water withdrawals per capita in Jamaica peaked at 555.53 cubic meters per person in 2014 and was at its lowest, 162.98 cubic meters per person, in 2023.
That places Jamaica 120th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Water withdrawals per capita in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | cubic meters per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 378.79 cubic meters per person | — |
| 1994 | 372.2 cubic meters per person | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 365.81 cubic meters per person | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 359.62 cubic meters per person | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 353.69 cubic meters per person | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 348.06 cubic meters per person | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 342.77 cubic meters per person | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 337.83 cubic meters per person | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 333.14 cubic meters per person | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 328.55 cubic meters per person | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 324.04 cubic meters per person | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 319.64 cubic meters per person | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 315.37 cubic meters per person | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 344.05 cubic meters per person | +9.1% |
| 2007 | 372.58 cubic meters per person | +8.3% |
| 2008 | 399.31 cubic meters per person | +7.2% |
| 2009 | 425.89 cubic meters per person | +6.7% |
| 2010 | 452.21 cubic meters per person | +6.2% |
| 2011 | 478.24 cubic meters per person | +5.8% |
| 2012 | 504.06 cubic meters per person | +5.4% |
| 2013 | 529.78 cubic meters per person | +5.1% |
| 2014 | 555.53 cubic meters per person | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 294.38 cubic meters per person | -47.0% |
| 2016 | 481.87 cubic meters per person | +63.7% |
| 2017 | 407.46 cubic meters per person | -15.4% |
| 2018 | 333.54 cubic meters per person | -18.1% |
| 2019 | 259.95 cubic meters per person | -22.1% |
| 2020 | 186.25 cubic meters per person | -28.4% |
| 2021 | 163.1 cubic meters per person | -12.4% |
| 2022 | 163.02 cubic meters per person | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 162.98 cubic meters per person | -0.0% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 162.98 cubic meters per person is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 450.42 cubic meters per person, 36% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 162.98 cubic meters per person is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 323.09 cubic meters per person, 50% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Water withdrawals per capita in Jamaica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | +63.7% | 294.38 cubic meters per person | 481.87 cubic meters per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 360.14 cubic meters per person | 342.77 cubic meters per person | 378.79 cubic meters per person | 7 |
| 2000s | 350.04 cubic meters per person | 315.37 cubic meters per person | 425.89 cubic meters per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 429.7 cubic meters per person | 259.95 cubic meters per person | 555.53 cubic meters per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 168.84 cubic meters per person | 162.98 cubic meters per person | 186.25 cubic meters per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
- 117 Eritrea 167.71 cubic meters per person compare
- 118 Senegal 167.12 cubic meters per person compare
- 119 Denmark 165.56 cubic meters per person compare
- 121 Belarus 157.42 cubic meters per person compare
- 122 Malaysia 156.24 cubic meters per person compare
- 123 Honduras 150.97 cubic meters per person compare
More environment data for Jamaica
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.93 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.15 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.284 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.76 °C (2025)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.0837 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 8.11 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is water withdrawals per capita in Jamaica?
- Water withdrawals per capita in Jamaica was 162.98 cubic meters per person in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest water withdrawals per capita recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 555.53 cubic meters per person in 2014.
- What is the lowest water withdrawals per capita recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 162.98 cubic meters per person in 2023.
- How does Jamaica rank for water withdrawals per capita?
- Jamaica ranks 120th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is water withdrawals per capita rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 69.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Water withdrawals per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Water withdrawn each year for agriculture, industry, and municipal uses, divided by the population.