Jamaica: Proportion of population facing financial hardship due to out-of-pocket health expenditure (%)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 5.91 percentage points from 15.57% in 2016. Since 1990 it is up 11.16 percentage points from 10.32% in 1990. The World Bank has no value for 11 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 13.06 percentage points in 1991 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.25 percentage points in 2016. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 13% of the movement over 9 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Jamaica in the 2021 ranking

• Côte d'Ivoire — 1st of 6: 28.85%
• Israel — 3rd of 6: 16.57%
• Bolivia — 4th of 6: 13.41%
• Lithuania — 5th of 6: 10.62%

What this measures

Proportion of population spending more than 40% of household discretionary budget on out-of-pocket health expenditure (%) The discretionary budget is defined as the total household budget, measured by consumption expenditure or income, minus the societal poverty line (SPL ). Using 2017 purchasing power parities (PPPs), the SPL corresponds to whichever is greater: $2.15 (the international poverty line) or $1.15 + 50% of median household consumption expenditure or income, excluding out-of-pocket household expenditure on health. Out-of-pocket health expenditure is defined as any spending incurred by a household when any member uses a health good or service to receive any type of care (preventive, curative, rehabilitative, long-term or palliative care); provided by any type of provider; for any type of disease, illness or health condition; in any type of setting (outpatient, inpatient, at home).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 21 values

Proportion of population facing financial hardship due to out-of-pocket health expenditure (%) in nearby economies

• Bolivia — 13.41% (2021)
• Peru — 28.51% (2022)

More health data for Jamaica

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 5.5% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 5.83% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 254,729 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 17.76% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 264,030 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 18.83% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 518,759 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 18.29% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 5.79% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Jamaica's proportion of population facing financial hardship due to out-of-pocket health expenditure (%)?

21.48% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 11.16 percentage points from 10.32% in 1990. The highest value was 24.13% in 2004 and the lowest 10.32% in 1990.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Universal Health Coverage Dataset, World Health Organization (WHO); World Bank (WB), note: Universal Health Coverage Dataset.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH_UHC_FH40, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Universal Health Coverage Dataset, World Health Organization (WHO); World Bank (WB), note: Universal Health Coverage Dataset Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.