Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) in Jamaica
Jamaica: Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) was 7.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Interest rate spread in Jamaica, 1978–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in lending rate minus deposit rate, %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for interest rate spread in Jamaica is 7.0%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 21.0% on the previous year and down 46.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, interest rate spread in Jamaica peaked at 20.3% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 1984.
That places Jamaica 41st out of 141 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | lending rate minus deposit rate, % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 7.0% | — |
| 1979 | 5.5% | -21.0% |
| 1980 | 6.1% | +10.3% |
| 1981 | 5.5% | -9.7% |
| 1982 | 5.7% | +3.9% |
| 1983 | 3.3% | -41.8% |
| 1984 | 2.6% | -21.3% |
| 1985 | 5.3% | +101.7% |
| 1986 | 8.5% | +61.8% |
| 1987 | 9.7% | +14.6% |
| 1988 | 9.3% | -4.3% |
| 1989 | 9.2% | -1.3% |
| 1990 | 6.5% | -29.1% |
| 1991 | 6.7% | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 11.0% | +63.9% |
| 1993 | 16.0% | +44.9% |
| 1994 | 12.9% | -19.5% |
| 1995 | 20.3% | +57.3% |
| 1996 | 14.7% | -27.6% |
| 1997 | 19.0% | +29.5% |
| 1998 | 15.2% | -20.1% |
| 1999 | 12.9% | -15.1% |
| 2000 | 8.7% | -32.6% |
| 2001 | 7.3% | -16.1% |
| 2002 | 7.0% | -4.1% |
| 2003 | 7.1% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 7.4% | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 7.5% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 8.4% | +11.1% |
| 2007 | 8.3% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 7.7% | -7.3% |
| 2009 | 6.8% | -12.3% |
| 2010 | 14.0% | +107.3% |
| 2011 | 15.2% | +8.7% |
| 2012 | 13.9% | -8.9% |
| 2013 | 14.0% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 12.7% | -9.5% |
| 2015 | 13.1% | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 12.9% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 11.2% | -13.4% |
| 2018 | 11.1% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 10.4% | -5.7% |
| 2020 | 9.6% | -8.1% |
| 2021 | 8.9% | -7.2% |
| 2022 | 7.3% | -17.5% |
| 2023 | 5.8% | -20.6% |
| 2024 | 5.8% | -1.2% |
| 2025 | 7.0% | +21.0% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 7.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.4%, 1.3× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 7.0% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 6.1%, 1.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) in Jamaica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +107.3% | 6.8% | 14.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.2% | 5.5% | 7.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 6.5% | 2.6% | 9.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.5% | 6.5% | 20.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.6% | 6.8% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.9% | 10.4% | 15.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.4% | 5.8% | 9.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More financial sector data for Jamaica
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0016 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per capita 13.2 units per person (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0012 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita 9.64 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0016 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per capita 13.2 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, SDR, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is interest rate spread in Jamaica?
- Interest rate spread in Jamaica was 7.0% in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest interest rate spread recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 20.3% in 1995.
- What is the lowest interest rate spread recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 1984.
- How does Jamaica rank for interest rate spread?
- Jamaica ranks 41st out of 141 countries with data for 2025.
- Is interest rate spread rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 46.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Interest rate spread is the interest rate charged by banks on loans to private sector customers minus the interest rate paid by commercial or similar banks for demand, time, or savings deposits. The terms and conditions attached to these rates differ by country, however, limiting their comparability.