The issues sometimes worsen as poverty can lead to more civil or social unrest, prolonging conflict and instability. Other common root causes of poverty include insufficient labor rights and discrimination, as witnessed in the “Untouchable” caste system in India.

Poverty is not just caused by individual circumstances but by major inequalities built into the structure of Australian society. Some of the main causes of this inequality and poverty are access to work and income, education, housing, health and services.

An Inter-American Development Bank report suggests that Jamaica has a serious crime and corruption problem. Data shows that we recorded 52 murders in the first 16 days of 2020, despite using one of the most powerful security measures in our national security arsenal – states of public emergency (SOEs).

Failing economies have been a major cause of poverty in the region. Low worker productivity, low educational achievement, limited economic diversification, and scarcity of productive investment beyond a few economic enclaves have historically restricted economic growth and curbed employment in the region.

Trench Town
– Trench Town is not only the neighborhood where Bob Marley lived before he became famous, but it is also one of Kingston’s poorest communities, better known for its gang-related crime and violence.

The main causes of poverty in the country include the following:

• low to moderate economic growth for the past 40 years;
• low growth elasticity of poverty reduction;
• weakness in employment generation and the quality of jobs generated;
• failure to fully develop the agriculture sector;
• high inflation during crisis periods;

More than 400,000 people in Jamaica live in poverty and 14,000 live in extreme poverty. That’s close to 15 percent of the country’s population who don’t have access to a decent way of survival. Although the percentage is not uplifting, it is far from the worst across all countries.

In Jamaica, the percentage of the population living below the official poverty line was 19.3% in 2017 and according to projections based on GDP per capita growth poverty declined between 2017 and 2019 (Figure 1).

What Causes Poverty?

• Lack of shelter.
• Limited access to clean water resources.
• Food insecurity.
• Physical disabilities.
• Lack of access to health care.
• Unemployment.
• Absence of social services.
• Gender discrimination.

Jamaica has been known to spend half of its income on imported good for basic necessities. The country relies mostly on goods such as food, gasoline and clothing. Its high reliance on imported goods creates an increasing deficit, endangering the state of its economy and keeping people below the poverty line.

11 Top Causes of Global Poverty

• INEQUALITY AND MARGINALIZATION.
• CONFLICT.
• HUNGER, MALNUTRITION, AND STUNTING.
• POOR HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS — ESPECIALLY FOR MOTHERS AND CHILDREN.
• LITTLE OR NO ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE.
• CLIMATE CHANGE.
• LACK OF EDUCATION.
• POOR PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE.

In the past five years Jamaica has, on average, realized a half of a percentage of annual GDP growth. Slow growth compounded with a high unemployment rate is just one of the causes of poverty in Jamaica.

Relationships between Jamaican officials and crime groups cause widespread corruption, which results in many of Jamaica’s problems. The corruption not only hurts law abiding Jamaican citizens, but makes foreign investors far more hesitant to get involved in Jamaican industry. Public education in Jamaica is not entirely free.

A serious hindrance to Jamaica’s development has been slow rates of economic growth. In the past 30 years, Jamaica has had an average annual GDP growth rate of less than one percent.

In an interview with University of Georgia student, Madison Fields, she recounts how she spent her sophomore spring break with the Wesley Foundation helping fight poverty in Jamaica in March 2018.