Country
Jamaica
Explore historical and projected climate data, climate data by sector, impacts, key vulnerabilities and what adaptation measures are being taken. Explore the overview for a general context of how climate change is affecting Jamaica.
Country Summary
This page presents high-level information for Jamaica's climate zones and its seasonal cycle for mean temperature and precipitation for the latest climatology, 1991-2020. Climate zone classifications are derived from the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system, which divides climates into five main climate groups divided based on seasonal precipitation and temperature patterns. The five main groups are A (tropical), B (dry), C (temperate), D (continental), and E (polar). All climates except for those in the E group are assigned a seasonal precipitation sub-group (second letter). Climate classifications are identified by hovering your mouse over the legend. A narrative overview of Jamaica's country context and climate is provided following the visualizations.
Köppen-Geiger Climate Classification, 1991-2020
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Jamaica is an island lies 145 kilometers south of Cuba between latitude 17°35’ to 18°35’ North and longitude 76° to 78°30’ West. It is the third largest island in the Caribbean Sea with a total landmass of 10,991 km2. The country is mostly mountainous with several ragged mountain ranges from which most of the 120 rivers flow from. In 2016 Jamaica's population was 2.88 million, which represent an annual population growth of 0.33%. In 2015, about 41% of all land in Jamaica was agricultural land and 31% was forest area. In 2017, the service sector employed 66% of the population while the agriculture sector employed 18.6% and industry employed 15.4%. Jamaica’s economy is heavily dependent on service which is backed by its political stability. The tourism industry and remittances make up the bulk of its GDP. Tourism alone contributed an estimated foreign exchange earnings of US$2.4 billion in 2016.
In 2015, Jamaica adopted a Climate Change Policy Framework intended to support the Vision 2030, mainstream climate change into sectoral and financial planning, and build the capacity of sectoral institutions to develop and implement their own climate change adaptation and mitigation plans. The country ratified the Paris Agreement and submitted its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in 2017.
