# Jamaicans

Jamaicans are the citizens of Jamaica and their descendants in the Jamaican diaspora. The vast majority of Jamaicans are of Sub-Saharan African descent, with minorities of Europeans, 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, born Jamaicans, as well as Caymanians of Jamaican origin, make up 26.8% of the population. Outside of Anglophone countries, the largest Jamaican diaspora community lives in Central America, where Jamaicans make up a significant percentage of the population.

## History

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). Jamaicans who consider themselves Black (according to the United States' One-drop rule definition of Black), made up 92% of the working population. Those of non-African descent or mixed race made up the remaining 8% of the population.
But according to a more precise study conducted by the local University of the West Indies - Jamaica's population is more accurately 76.3% African descent or Black, 15.1% Afro-European (or locally called the Brown Man or Browning Class), 3.4% East Indian and Afro-East Indian, 3.2% Caucasian, 1.2% Chinese and 0.8% Other.
Wealth or economic power in Jamaica is disproportionately held by the White Jamaicans, Chinese Jamaicans and the Afro-European (or locally called the Brown Man or Browning Class) - i.e. despite being a minority group(s) (less than 25% of the country's population) controls most of the country's wealth.

## Self-identified ethnic origin

Responses of the 2011 official census.
| Ethnic origin | Ethnic origin | Population | Males | Females | Percentage |
| Black | Black | 2,471,946 | 1,226,026 | 1,245,920 | 92.1 |
| Chinese | Chinese | 5,228 | 2,880 | 2,348 | 0.2 |
| Mixed | Mixed | 162,718 | 73,293 | 89,425 | 6.0 |
| East Indian | East Indian | 20,066 | 10,491 | 9,575 | 0.7 |
| White | White | 4,365 | 2,192 | 2,173 | 0.2 |
| Other | Other | 1,898 | 970 | 928 | 0.1 |
| Not Reported | Not Reported | 17,486 | 8,638 | 8,848 | 0.6 |
| Total | Total | 2,683,707 | 1,324,490 | 1,359,217 | 100.0% |
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A more precise breakdown of the Responses of the 2011 official census by the University of the West Indies
| Ethnic origin | Ethnic origin | Population | Percentage |
| Black | Black | 2,047,668 | 76.3 |
| Chinese | Chinese | 32,224 | 1.2 |
| Afro-European or Browning Class | Afro-European or Browning Class | 405,240 | 15.1 |
| East Indian and Afro-East Indian | East Indian and Afro-East Indian | 91,246 | 3.4 |
| White | White | 85,878 | 3.2 |
| Other | Other | 21,470 | 0.8 |
| Total | Total | 2,683,707 | 100.0% |
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## Religion

| Denomination | 2011 census | 2011 census |
| Denomination | Number | Percentage |
| Christian | | |
| Anglicanism | 74,891 | |
| Baptists | 180,640 | |
| Brethren | 23,647 | |
| Baptists | 20,872 | - |
| Brethren | 9,758 | 1.0 |
| Church of God in Jamaica | 129,544 | - |
| Church of God of Prophecy | 121,400 | - |
| New Testament Church of God | 192,086 | - |
| Other Church of God | 246,838 | - |
| The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (2021) | 6,718 | - |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | 50,849 | 2.0 |
| Methodist | 43,336 | 2.0 |
| Moravian | 18,351 | |
| Pentecostal | 295,195 | |
| Rastafari | 29,026 | |
| Revivalist | 36,296 | |
| Roman Catholic | 57,946 | |
| Seventh-day Adventist | 322,228 | - |
| United Church | 56,360 | |
| Baháʼí | 269 | |
| Hinduism | 1,836 | - |
| Islam | 1,513 | - |
| Judaism | 506 | |
| Other Religion/Denomination | 169,014 | - |
| Totals, specified religions | | 100.00 |
| No Religion/Denomination | 572,008 | - |
| Not reported | 60,326 | - |
| Totals, Jamaica | 2,683,105 | 100.00 |

## 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, Antigua & Barbuda (12,000), Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago. There are also communities of Jamaican descendants in Central America, particularly Costa Rica, 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.