Jamaicans are the citizens of
Jamaica and their descendants in the
Jamaican diaspora. The vast majority of Jamaicans are of
Sub-Saharan African
Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the African ...
descent, with minorities of Europeans, East Indians, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and others of mixed ancestry. The bulk of the Jamaican diaspora resides in other
Anglophone countries, namely
Canada, the
United States and the
United Kingdom. Jamaican populations are also prominent in other
Caribbean countries, territories and
Commonwealth realms, where in the
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...
, Jamaican born residents make up 24.8% of the population.
Outside of Anglophone countries, the largest Jamaican diaspora community lives in
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
, where Jamaicans make up a significant percentage of the population.
History
Census
According to the official Jamaica Population Census of 1970, ethnic origins categories in Jamaica include:
Black (Mixed);
Chinese;
East Indian;
White; and 'Other' (e.g.: Syrian or
Lebanese
Lebanese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Lebanese Republic
* Lebanese people
The Lebanese people ( ar, الشعب اللبناني / ALA-LC: ', ) are the people inhabiting or originating from Lebanon. The term may al ...
).
Jamaicans of African descent made up 92% of the working population. Those of non-African descent or mixed race made up the remaining 8% of the population.
Self-identified ethnic origin
Responses of the 2011 official census.
Religion
Diaspora
Many Jamaicans now live overseas and outside Jamaica, while many have migrated to
Anglophone countries, including over 400,000 Jamaicans in the
United Kingdom, over 300,000 in
Canada and 1,100,000 in the
United States.
There are about 30,500 Jamaicans residing in other CARICOM member including the
Bahamas (5,600),
Cuba (5,000),
Antigua & Barbuda (12,000),
and
Trinidad & Tobago.
There are also communities of Jamaican descendants in Central America, particularly
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
,
Nicaragua, and
Panama. Most of Costa Rica's
Afro-Costa Rican and Mulatto population, which combined represents about 7% of the total population, is of Jamaican descent.
Notable Jamaicans
See also
*
Afro-Nicaraguan
Afro-Nicaraguans are Nicaraguans of Sub-Saharan African descent. Five main distinct ethnic groups exist: The Creoles who descend from Anglo-Caribbean countries and many of whom still speak Nicaragua English Creole, the Miskito Sambus descendan ...
*
Afro-Panamanian
*
Demographics of Jamaica
*
Jamaicans in Ethiopia
*
Taíno
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jamaican People
Ethnic groups in Jamaica