Kingston, Jamaica has grown into the largest English-speaking city in the Western Hemisphere excluding the United States and Canada.
On the darker side, Kingston had a homicide rate of 57.59 victims per 100,000 people annually in 2019. That metric puts Kingston at number 13 among cities not at war and with at least 300,000 residents.
As a port city, Kingston plays a strategic role in Jamaica’s domestic economy and in international trade.
Jamaica shipped US$1.6 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2019. The most valuable exports are aluminum oxide (46.3% of Jamaica’s global total), medium petroleum oils (18.6%), aluminum ores and concentrates (5.7%), rum (3.5%), yams (1.9%), beer (1.6%), sauce preparations, mixed condiments and seasonings (1.5%), prepared or preserved fruits (1.3%), vermouth (also 1.3%) then bread, pastry, cakes and biscuits (1.2%) according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Kingston, Jamaica: Quick Reference
Famous People
Below, you will find 9 of the most famous people born in Kingston, Jamaica.
- Patrick Ewing, professional basketball player & coach (born Aug. 5, 1962)
- Chili Davis, professional baseball player & coach (born Jan. 17, 1960)
- Skip Marley, singer-songwriter (born Jun. 4, 1996)
- Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Olympic sprinter (born Dec. 27, 1986)
- Patrick Chung, professional football player (born Aug. 19, 1987)
- Sandra Denton, hip hop artist & actress (born Nov. 9, 1964)
- Sanya Richards-Ross, Olympic sprinter (born Feb. 26, 1985)
- Sandra Levy, Olympic field hockey player (born Dec. 3, 1965)
- Don Quarrie, Olympic sprinter (born Feb. 25, 1951)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a resident of Jamaica: Jamaican
Population: 1,243,072 (Kingston) in 2019
Density: 3,600 people per square mile (1,380 per square kilometer)
Population: 2,961,500 (Jamaica) at July 6, 2020
Density: 708 people per square mile (273 per square kilometer)
Median age for all Jamaica: 30.7 years old
Financial
GDP: US$27.9 billion in 2019 (Jamaica)
GDP per person: $9,692
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Kingston were unavailable.
Official currency used in Kingston: Jamaican dollar
Geography
Capital landmarks: Bob Marley Museum, Devon House, Emancipation Park, Hope Gardens, Port Royal and the University of the West Indies (Mona)
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Central America and Caribbean: Jamaica.
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Major Urban Areas – Population.
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Official Government Website, Kingston & St. Andrew Corporation: Local Authorities of Jamaica.
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Jamaica.
Wikipedia, Independence of Jamaica.
Wikipedia, Kingston, Jamaica.
Wikipedia, List of cities by murder rate.
WorldOMeter, Jamaica Population.
Jamaica won its independence from the United Kingdom on August 6, 1962. Fittingly named Jamaican Independence Day, each August 6 is celebrated as a national holiday.
Kingston’s built-up urban and rural area measures 190 square miles (480 square kilometers). In 2019, the estimated population for Kingston was 1.2 million residents.
The fourth-largest island nation in the Caribbean by land area, Jamaica covers 4,181 square miles (10,830 square kilometers). There were almost 3 million people living in Jamaica as of July 2020.
Population density is concentrated within Jamaica’s capital city Kingston with an average 3,600 inhabitants per square mile (1,380 per square kilometer).
Zooming out to the land boundaries for the entire island, population density drops to an average 708 Jamaicans per square mile (273 per square kilometer) for all of Jamaica.
