This study is not only a component of the Global Study of Child Poverty and Disparities commissioned and guided by UNICEF in 40 countries, but also seeks to extend local knowledge on the poverty and related aspects of Jamaican children. Estimates of poverty in Jamaica have been made annually since 1989 based on the Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions (JSLC). The percentage of the population below the national poverty line has been declining steadily, and the estimates of the percentage of the child population below the poverty line has followed this trend while maintaining a margin greater than the national average.