Imports Up, Exports Down For January – February 2025 Period

Jamaica recorded a significant decline in exports for the period January to February 2025, with spending on imports increasing compared to the corresponding period for 2024.

That’s according to the latest report released by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica, STATIN.

The island’s total import bill for the period amounted to one billion, three hundred and twenty one million US Dollars, while export earnings totaled three hundred and six point two million US Dollars.

Import expenditure rose by 1.9 percent compared to the one billion two hundred and ninety-seven million US Dollars recorded for the same period in 2024.

The growth in imports was mainly driven by increased purchases of Raw Material-Intermediate Goods and Consumer Goods, which went up by 6.2 percent and 9.9 percent, respectively.

In contrast, total exports declined by 8.9 percent compared to the three hundred and thirty six million US Dollars earned in the corresponding period last year.

STATIN attributed the fall to a sharp 41 percent drop in the value of exported Mineral Fuels.

The United States of America, China, Brazil, Nigeria, and Colombia remained Jamaica’s top five import partners during the review period.

On the export side, Jamaica’s leading markets were the United States, the Russian Federation, Iceland, Canada, and France.