Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Jamaica
Jamaica: Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 33,865 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
33,865
Change on year
up 20.2%
World rank
70th
of 170 countries
All-time high
37,422
in 2003
All-time low
6,852
in 1983
Years of data
25
1976–2024
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Jamaica, 1976–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Jamaica recorded 33,865 for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in 2024.
The figure is up 20.2% on the previous year and up 24.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Jamaica peaked at 37,422 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 6,852, in 1983.
That places Jamaica 70th out of 170 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 14,009 | — |
| 1977 | 7,054 | -49.6% |
| 1981 | 7,644 | +8.4% |
| 1983 | 6,852 | -10.4% |
| 1984 | 9,446 | +37.9% |
| 1985 | 10,808 | +14.4% |
| 1986 | 15,432 | +42.8% |
| 1999 | 33,850 | +119.3% |
| 2000 | 35,340 | +4.4% |
| 2001 | 35,263 | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 36,300 | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 37,422 | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 26,659 | -28.8% |
| 2005 | 28,300 | +6.2% |
| 2013 | 26,430 | -6.6% |
| 2014 | 27,302 | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 31,982 | +17.1% |
| 2016 | 25,541 | -20.1% |
| 2017 | 29,846 | +16.9% |
| 2018 | 27,628 | -7.4% |
| 2019 | 25,085 | -9.2% |
| 2021 | 33,197 | +32.3% |
| 2022 | 21,130 | -36.3% |
| 2023 | 28,169 | +33.3% |
| 2024 | 33,865 | +20.2% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 33,865 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 22,713, 1.5× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 33,865 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 18,690, 1.8× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10,532 | 7,054 | 14,009 | 2 |
| 1980s | 10,036 | 6,852 | 15,432 | 5 |
| 1990s | 33,850 | 33,850 | 33,850 | 1 |
| 2000s | 33,214 | 26,659 | 37,422 | 6 |
| 2010s | 27,688 | 25,085 | 31,982 | 7 |
| 2020s | 29,090 | 21,130 | 33,865 | 4 |
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 out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Jamaica?
- Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Jamaica was 33,865 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 37,422 in 2003.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 6,852 in 1983.
- How does Jamaica rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
- Jamaica ranks 70th out of 170 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.0%. 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 Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release