Jamaica’s poverty rate for 2019 was estimated at 11.0 per cent, compared with 12.6 per cent in 2018.

Finance Minister, Dr Nigel Clarke, made the announcement on Tuesday during a statement in the House of Representatives.

He said the decline in the poverty rate was supported by a 0.8 per cent increase in real National Disposable Income per capita, which was pushed by increases in real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), real remittance inflows, and employment.

“The effects of these positive performances were able to sustain the gains made in 2018,” said Clarke.

He noted that Jamaica has been measuring the rate of poverty since 1989. Since then, the highest rates of poverty have been in 1992 and 1993, when the rate was 44.6 per cent and 33.9 per cent, respectively.

The lowest rate of poverty that has been recorded over the period was 9.9 per cent in 2007.

Clarke noted that the 11 per cent incidence of poverty in 2019 was the lowest level in 12 years.

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