Jamaica is an island nation in the Caribbean that became independent from Great Britain in 1962. The population of almost 3 million are primarily black (91.2 percent) with an additional 6.2 percent of mixed heritage. Over 60 percent of Jamaicans identify with a Protestant church while a small minority (2.6 percent) are Roman Catholic and about 30 percent do not indicate any religion.

Growing unemployment in Jamaica has increased income inequality and some women sell food to try to make a living.

Jamaica has a young age structure because of its high fertility rate (2.25 children per woman) and a high degree of migration out of the country by working age adults: 31.4 percent of the population is age 14 or younger. In 2009, the country had ...