UNDP ranks Jamaica Caribbean’s top country for electoral democracy

Durrant Pate/Contributor

Jamaica has retained its position as the leading country in the Caribbean for electoral democracy based on the latest United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Report on Democracy and Development.

In the UNDP’s Electoral Democracy Index, which measures indicators including freedom of association, clean elections, freedom of expression, elected authorities, and suffrage, the island maintained a score of 0.8 on the index. Jamaica’s ranking reflects strong institutional stability at a time when several countries across the region are experiencing democratic “backsliding.”

The report, titled Democracies Under Pressure: Reimagining the Futures of Democracy and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, noted that Jamaica has consistently maintained high electoral democracy scores since the 1990s, ranging between 0.75 and 0.82, remaining above the regional average.

It also found that 53 percent of Jamaicans believe democracy is the best system of government, despite concerns among some citizens about how it functions in practice. The report highlighted citizen participation as a key pillar of democracy and pointed to the role of civil society organisations in promoting accountability. 

On digital development, Jamaica was identified as the Caribbean’s second-highest ranked country on the Global Innovation Index, placing 79th globally.

Weeding out corruption and debt reduction

The report singled out organisations in Jamaica, such as National Integrity Action and Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal, that monitor government actions in awarding contracts and other public expenditures for possible conflicts of interest or corrupt practices.

The UNDP highlighted Jamaica’s progress in reducing public debt as an example of the link between fiscal governance and democratic stability, noting that the island has cut its debt-to-GDP ratio from 144 per cent in 2012 to 72 per cent by 2023, despite slow economic growth, natural disasters, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UNDP attributed much of that progress to fiscal governance reforms implemented through agreements with the International Monetary Fund, including Jamaica’s Fiscal Responsibility Framework introduced in 2010. The Framework included built-in flexibility, allowing the Government to modify its terms, with parliamentary approval, in the event of unforeseen circumstances such as a national disaster. 

“Importantly, there was independent oversight of the mechanism to hold governments accountable and promote transparency and coherence,” the report cited. More broadly, the report described Latin America and the Caribbean as the most democratic developing region and the third most democratic worldwide, with more than four out of five citizens living under elected governments.

However, it warned that democracies across the region continue to face mounting pressures tied to governance quality and public expectations.