# United Kingdom and Jamaica compared

United Kingdom and Jamaica side by side: 39 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 3 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/gbr-vs-jam
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- United Kingdom: 12 July 927 — The monarchs of Britain recognise Æthelstan as king of the English
- Jamaica: 6 August 1962 — Jamaica becomes independent of Britain

## Economy

| Metric | United Kingdom | Observed | Jamaica | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $3.69 T | 2024 | $22 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $53,246 | 2024 | $7,754 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 1.1% | 2024 | -0.5% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 3.3% | 2024 | 5.4% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 62.8% | 2024 | — | — |

## Society

| Metric | United Kingdom | Observed | Jamaica | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 69 m | 2024 | 2.8 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 81.4 yrs | 2024 | 71.6 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 83.2% | 2024 | 58.9% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 1.6 | 2024 | 1.4 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | United Kingdom | Observed | Jamaica | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 79.6 | 2024 | 65.3 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 70.3 | 2024 | 74.0 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 74.4 | 2024 | 54.7 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 78.7 | 2024 | 56.3 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 78.8 | 2024 | 55.6 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 78.4 | 2024 | 45.9 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | United Kingdom | Observed | Jamaica | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 11.1% | 2024 | 7.6% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 3.30 | 2023 | 0.46 | 2023 |
| Under-5 mortality | 4.7 | 2024 | 17.8 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 89.0% | 2024 | 94.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 99.8% | 2024 | — | — |

## Education

| Metric | United Kingdom | Observed | Jamaica | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education spending | 5.9% | 2021 | 5.5% | 2024 |
| Primary enrolment | 102.2% | 2023 | 97.3% | 2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 112.1% | 2023 | 84.5% | 2024 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 80.4% | 2023 | 26.2% | 2015 |

## Technology

| Metric | United Kingdom | Observed | Jamaica | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 2.7% | 2023 | 0.1% | 2002 |
| Researchers (per million) | 4,473 | 2017 | — | — |
| Internet users | 95.5% | 2024 | 90.1% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 122 | 2024 | 118 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 29.2% | 2024 | 2.6% | 2023 |

## Geography

| Metric | United Kingdom | Observed | Jamaica | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 241,930 km² | 2023 | 10,830 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 13.3% | 2023 | 56.2% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 70.3% | 2023 | 38.5% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 4.2 | 2024 | 2.8 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 12.2% | 2021 | 10.5% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | United Kingdom | Observed | Jamaica | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 0.6% | 2021 | 0.5% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.4% | 2021 | 0.3% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.2% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 100.0% | 2023 | 97.7% | 2023 |
| Bauxite | — | — | 6.2 Mt | 2025 |

## Military

| Metric | United Kingdom | Observed | Jamaica | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 2.3% | 2024 | 1.3% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $82 B | 2024 | $263 M | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 153,000 | 2020 | 6,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/GBR.md and https://terralore.co/country/JAM.md.

## Entangled histories (3 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 1655 CE: **English conquest** — An English force under Penn and Venables seizes the island for Cromwell, launching the sugar-and-slavery plantation economy. (from the Jamaica chronicle; sources: Jamaica: History; Jamaica: British rule)
- 1944 CE: **Universal adult suffrage** — A new constitution grants every adult the vote, the first in the British Caribbean, and Jamaica holds its first elections under it. (from the Jamaica chronicle; sources: Jamaica: The independent country)
- 1958 CE: **West Indies Federation** — Jamaica joins the federation of British Caribbean colonies as its largest member, an experiment in regional union. (from the Jamaica chronicle; sources: Jamaica: The independent country; The Federal Archives Fonds, 1958-1962 (West Indies Federation))

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/GBR/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/JAM/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "United Kingdom and Jamaica compared", terralore.co/compare/gbr-vs-jam, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.