Where does the “cost” of corruption ends up

It is said that Jamaica loses between 5% to 7% of GDP to corruption, but what does this mean.

Truth be told corruption is a zero sum game, which means if one loses someone else gains. Corruption most often means funds, service etc that were to be for public good has been diverted to enrich others .

In 2018 Jamaica GDP was estimated to be approx US$15.8B so a “loss” of 5 % to 7% would equate to US$790m to US$1.106B. The equivalent in Jamaica dollars would be $108b to $151b.

Where does this loss to the government end up since I hold the view that this is a zero sum game. It would stand to reason that there are some very wealthy people living in this country and their wealth have grown exponentially over the years given their access to government resources .

How much of this wealth remains in Jamaica and what form has it taken on and how much resides outside of the country.

Very important questions that deserves answers

Jamaica’s GDP in US$ over the last 10 years

Accumulated losses over the last 10 years

Where is all this money, and what has it been doing or where has it been hiding