Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Jamaica
Jamaica: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 95.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Jamaica, 1820–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Jamaica is 95.7%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 8.7% on the previous year and up 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Jamaica peaked at 100.0% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 4.8%, in 1820.
That places Jamaica 84th out of 190 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 68 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 5.3% | 4.8% | 5.8% | 2 |
| 1830s | 8.0% | 7.2% | 8.8% | 2 |
| 1840s | 11.9% | 10.8% | 13.1% | 2 |
| 1850s | 17.3% | 15.8% | 18.9% | 2 |
| 1860s | 24.6% | 22.5% | 26.6% | 2 |
| 1870s | 33.5% | 31.2% | 35.9% | 2 |
| 1880s | 43.0% | 40.6% | 45.3% | 2 |
| 1890s | 52.4% | 50.0% | 54.8% | 2 |
| 1900s | 61.8% | 59.5% | 64.2% | 2 |
| 1910s | 70.9% | 68.9% | 72.8% | 2 |
| 1920s | 78.6% | 76.7% | 80.6% | 2 |
| 1930s | 86.4% | 84.5% | 88.3% | 2 |
| 1940s | 94.2% | 92.2% | 96.1% | 2 |
| 1950s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 96.9% | 94.6% | 99.2% | 2 |
| 1970s | 96.7% | 90.0% | 100.0% | 4 |
| 1980s | 96.9% | 92.8% | 99.6% | 9 |
| 1990s | 92.8% | 88.6% | 96.3% | 4 |
| 2000s | 89.9% | 86.9% | 95.5% | 8 |
| 2010s | 90.7% | 89.2% | 93.0% | 8 |
| 2020s | 89.8% | 84.6% | 95.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More education data for Jamaica
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 73.1% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 18.3% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 97.3% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 11,768 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.35 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 97.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Jamaica?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Jamaica was 95.7% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1950.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.8% in 1820.
- How does Jamaica rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Jamaica ranks 84th out of 190 countries with data for 2024.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.1%. 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); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 68 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.