Distillers Jamaica
A one-page guide to Jamaica for the spirits trade: the country, its people, its economy and how it drinks.
At a glance
- Capital
- Kingston
- Official languages
- English
- Currency
- Jamaican dollar (JMD)
- Time zone
- UTC-5 (no daylight saving)
- Area
- 10,991 km²
People
- Population
- 2.8 million (2025)
- Population growth
- -0.1% a year
- Living in towns and cities
- 59.4%
- Aged under 15
- 18.3%
- Aged 65 and over
- 8.6%
- Life expectancy
- 71.6 years
Economy
- GDP
- US$22.6 billion (2025)
- GDP per person
- US$8,206 (2025)
- Economic growth
- 0.1% (2025)
- Inflation
- 3.9% (2025)
Climate
Tropical, hot and humid, more temperate inland. Parts of the south coast are dry rain-shadow areas. Jamaica sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt, so storm damage and shipping disruption are a seasonal risk for warehouses and ports.
Alcohol
- Alcohol is
- Legal
- Legal drinking age
- 18 (sale or supply to under-18s prohibited, Child Care and Protection Act s.40)
- Alcohol per adult a year
- 4.36 litres of pure alcohol (2024)
- Traditional drinks
- Rum (including white overproof rum)
Sources: World Bank (population, economy and demographics), WHO Global Health Observatory (alcohol per adult and drinking mix); Wikipedia - Appleton Estate / J. Wray & Nephew; Wikipedia - Legal drinking age; Wikipedia - Jamaica; Wikipedia - Red Stripe; PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Jamaica - other taxes; Goods Across Borders: Jamaica allowances (secondary; cites national customs); West Indies Rum & Spirits Producers' Association (WIRSPA); Vinexpo Americas. Figures are the latest each source publishes; the year is shown beside each one.