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
Latest (2024)
95.7%
Change on year
up 8.7%
World rank
84th
of 190 countries
All-time high
100.0%
in 1950
All-time low
4.8%
in 1820
Years of data
68
1820–2024
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.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 4.8% | — |
| 1825 | 5.8% | +23.2% |
| 1830 | 7.2% | +22.9% |
| 1835 | 8.8% | +22.5% |
| 1840 | 10.8% | +22.0% |
| 1845 | 13.1% | +21.4% |
| 1850 | 15.8% | +20.8% |
| 1855 | 18.9% | +20.0% |
| 1860 | 22.5% | +19.1% |
| 1865 | 26.6% | +18.1% |
| 1870 | 31.2% | +17.0% |
| 1875 | 35.9% | +15.1% |
| 1880 | 40.6% | +13.1% |
| 1885 | 45.3% | +11.6% |
| 1890 | 50.0% | +10.4% |
| 1895 | 54.8% | +9.4% |
| 1900 | 59.5% | +8.6% |
| 1905 | 64.2% | +7.9% |
| 1910 | 68.9% | +7.4% |
| 1915 | 72.8% | +5.6% |
| 1920 | 76.7% | +5.3% |
| 1925 | 80.6% | +5.1% |
| 1930 | 84.5% | +4.8% |
| 1935 | 88.3% | +4.6% |
| 1940 | 92.2% | +4.4% |
| 1945 | 96.1% | +4.2% |
| 1950 | 100.0% | +4.0% |
| 1955 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 99.2% | -0.8% |
| 1965 | 94.6% | -4.6% |
| 1970 | 100.0% | +5.7% |
| 1975 | 90.0% | -10.0% |
| 1976 | 98.6% | +9.6% |
| 1977 | 98.4% | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 99.6% | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 98.3% | -1.3% |
| 1983 | 99.4% | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 97.7% | -1.7% |
| 1985 | 96.1% | -1.6% |
| 1986 | 95.7% | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 95.3% | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 92.8% | -2.6% |
| 1989 | 96.8% | +4.3% |
| 1990 | 96.3% | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 95.3% | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 91.1% | -4.4% |
| 1999 | 88.6% | -2.8% |
| 2000 | 89.3% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 88.9% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 87.8% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 86.9% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 89.7% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 89.5% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 91.4% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 95.5% | +4.6% |
| 2010 | 92.5% | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 90.7% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 89.3% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 93.0% | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 89.2% | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 89.5% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 90.2% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 91.0% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 88.2% | -3.0% |
| 2021 | 84.6% | -4.2% |
| 2022 | 92.3% | +9.2% |
| 2023 | 88.0% | -4.7% |
| 2024 | 95.7% | +8.7% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 95.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 94.1%, 1.0× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 95.7% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 93.2%, 1.0× the median. (35 countries reporting)
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
- 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 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
Share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.