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Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Jamaica

Jamaica: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 5.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
5.5%
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
36th
of 199 countries
All-time high
6.4%
in 2010
All-time low
3.2%
in 1993
Years of data
41
1973–2024

Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Jamaica, 1973–2024

02461973199820241973: 3.6 % of GDP1974: 4.2 % of GDP1975: 5.2 % of GDP1976: 5.9 % of GDP1977: 6 % of GDP1985: 5.4 % of GDP1986: 4.6 % of GDP1988: 3.9 % of GDP1989: 5.2 % of GDP1990: 4.8 % of GDP1991: 4.4 % of GDP1992: 3.3 % of GDP1993: 3.2 % of GDP1994: 4.1 % of GDP1995: 3.4 % of GDP1996: 3.7 % of GDP1997: 4.4 % of GDP2000: 5 % of GDP2001: 5.4 % of GDP2002: 5.4 % of GDP2003: 4.3 % of GDP2004: 3.9 % of GDP2005: 4.6 % of GDP2007: 5.5 % of GDP2008: 6.2 % of GDP2009: 6.2 % of GDP2010: 6.4 % of GDP2011: 6.3 % of GDP2012: 6.1 % of GDP2013: 6.3 % of GDP2014: 6 % of GDP2015: 5.5 % of GDP2016: 5.3 % of GDP2017: 5.3 % of GDP2018: 5.4 % of GDP2019: 5.2 % of GDP2020: 5.4 % of GDP2021: 5.6 % of GDP2022: 5.4 % of GDP2023: 5.7 % of GDP2024: 5.5 % of GDP

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

In 2024, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Jamaica stood at 5.5%.

That represents a change of down 2.5% on the previous year and down 8.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Jamaica peaked at 6.4% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 3.2%, in 1993.

That places Jamaica 36th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 5.0% 3.6% 6.0% 5
1980s 4.8% 3.9% 5.4% 4
1990s 3.9% 3.2% 4.8% 8
2000s 5.2% 3.9% 6.2% 9
2010s 5.8% 5.2% 6.4% 10
2020s 5.5% 5.4% 5.7% 5

Countries ranked near Jamaica

  1. 33 Bhutan 5.8% compare
  2. 34 Nauru 5.8% compare
  3. 35 Brazil 5.6% compare
  4. 37 Uzbekistan 5.5% compare
  5. 38 Samoa 5.5% compare
  6. 39 Curacao 5.4% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More education data for Jamaica

All data for Jamaica →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Jamaica?
Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Jamaica was 5.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Jamaica?
The highest recorded value was 6.4% in 2010.
What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Jamaica?
The lowest recorded value was 3.2% in 1993.
How does Jamaica rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
Jamaica ranks 36th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Jamaica?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Jamaica data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Government spending on education as a share of GDP
Unit
% of GDP
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 5,187 data points, 1870–2025
Last refreshed

Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.