Jamaica's merchandise trade deficit widened during the first four months of the year as import spending increased while export earnings declined.
New figures released by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica, STATIN, show that the country spent US$2.5 billion on imports from January to April, while earning just US$547.4 million from exports. This resulted in a merchandise trade deficit of approximately $1.96 billion.
The value of imports increased by 0.9%, compared with the corresponding period last year, driven by higher spending on raw materials, intermediate goods and capital goods.
Expenditure on raw materials and intermediate goods rose by 5.6 per cent, while spending on capital goods, excluding motor cars, increased by 7.7 per cent.
Export earnings declined by 10.6 per cent, compared with the first four months of 2025.
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