The island nation of Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean, located directly south of Cuba and west of the island of Hispaniola. A former British colony, its population of more than 2.5 million consists mostly of descendants of slaves from Africa, but there are also 19th-and 20th-century migrants from India, China, Europe, North America, the Middle East, and other West Indian islands. These groups, too, have greatly influenced Jamaican religious life.

As on other Caribbean islands, religion is central to daily life in Jamaica. Religion plays a major role in Jamaican society, politics, and expressive culture; for example, the islandwide festival of Jonkanoo (John Canoe) incorporates Christian and African religious traditions. Jamaica has more churches per square kilometer than any other nation in ...