Duration of compulsory education (years) in Jamaica
Jamaica: Duration of compulsory education (years) was 6 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
6 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
182nd
of 206 countries
All-time high
6 years
in 1998
All-time low
6 years
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Duration of compulsory education in Jamaica, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Jamaica recorded 6 years for duration of compulsory education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in Jamaica peaked at 6 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 6 years, in 1998.
That places Jamaica 182nd out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Duration of compulsory education (years) in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 6 years | — |
| 1999 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 years | +0.0% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 6 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10 years, 60% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 6 years is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 12 years, 50% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
- 182 Benin 6 years compare
- 182 Cameroon 6 years compare
- 182 Democratic Republic of Congo 6 years compare
- 182 Comoros 6 years compare
- 182 Guinea 6 years compare
- 182 Equatorial Guinea 6 years compare
- 182 Guyana 6 years compare
- 182 Haiti 6 years compare
- 182 Iraq 6 years compare
- 182 Liberia 6 years compare
- 182 Malaysia 6 years compare
- 182 Rwanda 6 years compare
- 182 Singapore 6 years compare
- 182 Sao Tome and Principe 6 years compare
- 182 Suriname 6 years compare
More education data for Jamaica
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 95.68 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 95.66 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 11,043 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 4,597 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 52,983 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 51,265 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 177,095 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 211,097 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 8.14 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in Jamaica?
- Duration of compulsory education in Jamaica was 6 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 1998.
- How does Jamaica rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Jamaica ranks 182nd out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Duration of compulsory education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release