The report examines the fiscal balance of Jamaica and its relationship to government revenue and expense.
The fiscal position of Jamaica in 2020 comprised government revenue excluding grants of 26.9% of GDP and expense of 27.5% of GDP. Net lending or borrowing was -2.8% of GDP. Relative to the previous year, the balance down by 4.4 percentage points. Tax revenue represented 23.7% of GDP in 2020.
Based on comparable data for 2020, Jamaica ranked 91st of 158 economies by its fiscal balance.
Jamaica Government Budget Balance by Year
Data source: World Bank, World Development Indicators — Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-), % of GDP (GC.NLD.TOTL.GD.ZS); Revenue, excluding grants, % of GDP (GC.REV.XGRT.GD.ZS); Expense, % of GDP (GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS); Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-), current local currency units (GC.NLD.TOTL.CN); Tax revenue, % of GDP (GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS); Grants and other revenue, % of revenue (GC.REV.GOTR.ZS).
License: CC BY-4.0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
About the Indicators
Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-), % of GDP. The overall government fiscal balance — revenue minus expense minus net acquisition of nonfinancial assets — as a share of GDP.
Revenue, excluding grants, % of GDP. Government revenue from taxes and non-tax sources, excluding grants received from other governments or organizations, as a share of GDP.
Expense, % of GDP. Total government expense — all cash payments for operating activities and transfers — as a share of GDP.
Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-), current local currency units. The overall government fiscal balance in the country’s own currency, at current prices.
Tax revenue, % of GDP. Compulsory transfers to government for public purposes, as a share of GDP.
Grants and other revenue, % of revenue. The share of total government revenue coming from grants and other miscellaneous, non-tax sources.