Tap water in Jamaica

Not safe to drink

This reflects the CDC's travel health guidance for Jamaica; no WHO coverage figure is published for this country. National figures describe a country, not the tap in front of you.

What the sources say

US CDC Travelers' Health

Advises travellers that tap water is generally not safe to drink in Jamaica.

Numbeo

56.88/100 on the water drinkability and accessibility index, which Numbeo reads as “Moderate”. This one is crowdsourced from residents rather than measured.

Lonely Planet

Water is generally safe to drink from faucets throughout the island, except in the most far-flung rural regions. It is safest, however, to stick with bottled water, which is widely...

Water is generally safe to drink from faucets throughout the island, except in the most far-flung rural regions. It is safest, however, to stick with bottled water, which is widely available. It’s a good idea to avoid ice, particularly that sold at street stands as ‘bellywash,’ ‘snocones’ or ‘skyjuice’ – shaved-ice cones sweetened with fruit juice. Unless you’re certain that the local water is not contaminated, you shouldn’t drink it. In Jamaica’s backwaters, clean your teeth with purified water rather than tap water.

This is a national picture, and it varies. Some cities treat their water to a standard the country as a whole does not reach. Where the water is not safe, boiling, filtering or sealed bottles are the usual options, and ice and raw salad washed in tap water carry the same risk as the water itself.

What bottled water costs you here

Drinking tap water instead of bottled would save one adult about 1029$ a year in Jamaica, and keep several hundred plastic bottles out of circulation.

Work out your own saving

Places in Jamaica

Water quality is local. These places have their own readings.

Elsewhere in North America