Human Development & Quality of Life in Jamaica
Human Development
Jamaica enters the 2025 UNDP report with a 2023 HDI of 0.720 and rank 117, within the high human development group. More revealing for this profile. The GII reading of 0.358 (rank 88) is an important counterpoint to the aggregate HDI. At the same time, the planetary-pressure adjustment is limited at 4.7%, leaving PHDI at 0.686.
What sits inside Jamaica's HDI
Jamaica's HDI can be read through four underlying inputs for 2023: 71.5 life expectancy, 12.4 expected schooling, 10.0 mean schooling and GNI per capita of $10,057 in 2021 PPP dollars. The components are inputs to HDI, not independent country league tables.
Inequality changes the headline
Jamaica's IHDI adjusts the headline index for inequality in health, education and income outcomes. It describes distribution, so it is not used here as a quality-of-life rating.
Gender and planetary-pressure adjustments
In this country profile, Jamaica has additional UNDP measures of GDI 1.013, GII 0.358, PHDI 0.686. Reading them together is useful, but combining them would obscure their different definitions.
Quality-of-life coverage is conditional
This profile does not show a verified comparable life-satisfaction value for Jamaica. The absence of a published observation is preserved explicitly.
What Jamaica's numbers say together
Jamaica's non-headline measures include IHDI 0.590 with a 18.1% loss; PHDI 0.686 after a 4.7% adjustment; GDI 1.013. These measures remain distinct because they measure different aspects of development.
At 0.720, Jamaica's 2023 HDI corresponds to UNDP rank 117. The ranking reflects the HDI framework only and does not capture every aspect of lived experience.
The IHDI is 0.590, and UNDP reports an overall loss of 18.1% relative to the headline index.
The GDI value is 1.013 in group 1; it should be read alongside, not merged into, HDI.
The PHDI is 0.686, with a 4.7% adjustment from the HDI value in UNDP's 2023 table.
Frequently asked questions
What is Jamaica's HDI?
Jamaica's 2023 Human Development Index is 0.720, corresponding to UNDP rank 117 in the 2025 report.
How does inequality affect Jamaica's HDI?
The UNDP inequality adjustment gives Jamaica an IHDI of 0.590, with an overall loss of 18.1% from the unadjusted HDI. When using this figure elsewhere, preserve the distinction between level and distribution because the surrounding measures answer different questions.
Why is there no life satisfaction score on this page?
This profile does not fill the quality-of-life section for Jamaica simply to complete the layout. No proxy is inserted for a value the source does not report.
Is HDI the same as quality of life?
No. The HDI calculation does not include every aspect of quality of life. Life satisfaction remains distinct from the health, education and income dimensions used by HDI.
Sources & methodology
Sources for the development indicators and definitions shown above.
View sources used for this page
Primary source for 2023 HDI and its components, plus IHDI, GDI, GII and PHDI where reported.
Report edition underlying the 2023 human-development indices and ranking.
Data note: Reference years are shown with each indicator; unavailable observations remain unfilled.