Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Jamaica
Jamaica: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 17.7% in 2015. ▲ Rising
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Jamaica, 2000–2015
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in IMF calculation.
Analysis
The most recent figure for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Jamaica is 17.7%, measured in 2015.
That represents a change of down 8.0% on the previous year and up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Jamaica peaked at 21.0% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 4.2%, in 2000.
That places Jamaica 23rd out of 123 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | IMF calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.2% | — |
| 2001 | 17.5% | +313.6% |
| 2002 | 15.6% | -10.8% |
| 2003 | 16.0% | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 14.9% | -6.7% |
| 2005 | 17.6% | +18.5% |
| 2006 | 18.0% | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 17.3% | -3.6% |
| 2008 | 18.0% | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 17.4% | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 17.7% | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 18.6% | +5.1% |
| 2012 | 19.6% | +5.5% |
| 2013 | 21.0% | +7.0% |
| 2014 | 19.3% | -8.5% |
| 2015 | 17.7% | -8.0% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 17.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 12.8%, 1.4× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 17.7% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 16.6%, 1.1× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Jamaica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +313.6% | 4.2% | 17.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.7% | 4.2% | 18.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.0% | 17.7% | 21.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More education data for Jamaica
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0744 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Jamaica?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Jamaica was 17.7% in 2015, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 21.0% in 2013.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.2% in 2000.
- How does Jamaica rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Jamaica ranks 23rd out of 123 countries with data for 2015.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. 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, published as part of Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (IMF calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release