Twenty-seven of the 894 children who were reported missing in Jamaica in 2021 were confirmed dead.

This is according to the 2021 edition of the Economic and Social Survey Jamaica (ESSJ), a publication of the Planning Institute of Jamaica.

A total of 1,467 people were reported missing on the island last year with the 894 missing children making up 60.9 per cent of the number.

The number of persons reported missing overall decreased by 9.2 per cent from 1,615 in 2020 to 1,467 last year.

Females accounted for 63.1 per cent of missing persons and were 82.0 per cent of missing children and 33.7 per cent of missing adults. By year end, 749 had returned (67.4 per cent children), 27 were confirmed dead (3.7 per cent children) and 691 were still missing (56.2 per cent children).

Meanwhile, a total of 51 cases of suicide were reported in Jamaica in 2021, an 18.6 per cent increase when compared to the previous year.

Males accounted for 86.2 per cent of victims and hanging continued to be the most common method used (82.4 per cent). Two victims were below 18 years and six over 65 years.

The parish of St Catherine recorded the highest number of cases, with 10, followed by St Andrew with eight cases, while the parishes of Kingston, St Ann and Clarendon recorded five cases each.