Andrew Holness is a graduate of St. Catherine High School and of the University of the West Indies, where he pursued a Bachelor of Science in Management Studies and a Master of Science in Development Studies. In 1997 he married Juliet Holness (née Landell), an accountant, whom he had met as a student at St. Catherine High School during the 1980s. The couple have two children, Adam and Matthew.

In 1997 he became Member of Parliament for West Central St. Andrew and served as Opposition Spokesperson on Land and Development from 1999 to 2002. In 2002 he switched portfolio to Housing and then Education in 2005. He was sworn in as Minister of Education in September 2007.

He succeeded Bruce Golding as both leader of the Jamaica Labour Party and prime minister on 23 October 2011, making him the ninth person to hold this office. As prime minister, he chose to retain the education portfolio.

On 5 December 2011, Mr Holness called the next election for 29 December 2011. The JLP campaigned in their strongholds and Holness highlighted the four years of JLP government with accomplishments, such as economic growth and crime reduction which the JLP says the PNP failed to do during their eighteen years rule of the country. The JLP, however, lost at the polls to the People’s National Party, which gained a large majority of 42 to the JLP’s 21 parliamentary seats.

On 25 February 2016, the Jamaica Labour Party, led by Andrew Holness, won the general election with the JLP winning 32 seats compared to 31 seats for the incumbent People’s National Party. His wife Juliet also won a seat in parliament, the first time a prime minister or opposition leader and their spouse sat in the Parliament of Jamaica together.

On 3 September 2020, the Jamaica Labour Party, led by Andrew Holness, won the general election. The JLP won 48 seats, as compared to the 15 seats for the People’s National Party. He was sworn in for another term on 7 September 2020.