Census 2022: Low birth rate, deaths stymie Jamaica's population growth

 

The long-awaited findings of the Population and Housing Census was released by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) on Wednesday and showed that Jamaica had a population of 2.7 million people in 2022.

 

Speaking Wednesday at a press briefing, Director of the Censuses, Demographic and Social Statistics Division at STATIN, Stacy-Ann Robinson, argued that low birth rate and deaths slowed down the growth of the population. 

 

"Jamaica's population in 2022 was 2.7 million, an increase a 2.8 per cent compared with the 2011 census, the previous census year. The average annual growth rate of 0.24 per cent was the lowest over the period 1970 to 2022. The growth rate observed was influenced by a 42.2 per cent climb in the births, moving to 747,788 from 432,018 over the intercensal periods 1970-1982 to 2011-2022. And it was further impacted by population loses due to deaths moving from 188,993 to 236,687," she outlined.

 

The average annual number of births of 56.205 for the period 1982 to 1991 fell by 30.1 per cent for the intercensal period 2011 to 2022. Meanwhile, the average annual deaths for the same period fell by 44.5 per cent, from 14,884 to 21,517.

 

The census revealed that the parish of St. Catherine registered the largest increase in population between 2011 and 2022, increasing by 26,545. Clarendon also saw an increase over the period of 13,540, followed by Kingston and St. Andrew with a population growth of 10,478. 

 

"These figures highlight where the most significant population shifts have occurred, indicating areas of growth that may require increased planning and, of course, resource allocation," she noted.