Kingston vs Port-au-Prince

Kingston leads Port-au-Prince by 28 points on the CIRA Index, 50 to 22. Kingston grades better on 12 measures, Port-au-Prince on 1; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Kingston 50, Port-au-Prince 22
• OECD: Kingston 48, Port-au-Prince 24
• UN Tourism: Kingston 45, Port-au-Prince 26
• UNDRR: Kingston 59, Port-au-Prince 21

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Kingston 35, Port-au-Prince 25
• Economy and jobs: Kingston 63, Port-au-Prince 13
• Climate and hazards: Kingston 50, Port-au-Prince 20
• Water and environment: Kingston 33, Port-au-Prince 50
• Community and housing: Kingston 25, Port-au-Prince 0
• Access and continuity: Kingston 67, Port-au-Prince 13

Where Kingston is stronger

• Average length of stay: 5 nights per visitor (Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association via Jamaica Tourist Board, 2023). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
• Unemployment rate: 3.7 % of the labour force (country figure) (Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN), Labour Force Survey, April 2026). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Extreme heat days: 0.8 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Country disaster risk: 3.7 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Between 3.5 and 5: grade 2/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 52.4 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (UN-Water / SDG Country Profiles, Indicator 6.3.1, 2024). Between 50 and 70: grade 1/4.
• Rent growth: 7.5 % change in rents over the last 12 months (country figure) (Rent Assessment Board of Jamaica / Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, 2026). Between 6 and 10: grade 2/4.
• Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (PAC Kingston Airport Limited & Port Authority of Jamaica, 2024–2026). Between 3 and 4: grade 3/4.
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) & Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC), 2024–2026). Grade 3/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, 2024–2026). Grade 3/4.
• Government effectiveness: 54.7 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). Between 40 and 60: grade 2/4.
• Travel advisory: 2 stricter of the US and Canadian government advisory for the country, 1 (normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel) (country figure) (US State Department and Government of Canada travel advisories, 2026-09-29). Between 1 and 2: grade 3/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source such as a tourist tax or levy (Ministry of Tourism Jamaica & Houses of Parliament, 2024–2025). Grade 2/4.

Where Port-au-Prince is stronger

• Municipal waste per resident: 219 kg per resident per year (World Bank / UNDP Haiti, 2018). At or below 350: grade 4/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Jamaica: #78 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Kingston in full · Port-au-Prince in full

The CIRA Index ranking · City vs city · How the index works · CIRA Studio · Put your city in the pilot