Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Jamaica
Jamaica: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 19.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Jamaica, 2000–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Jamaica is 19.5%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 3.9% on the previous year and up 56.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Jamaica peaked at 23.2% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 11.4%, in 2014.
That places Jamaica 52nd out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 15.0% | — |
| 2001 | 13.3% | -11.3% |
| 2002 | 12.4% | -6.8% |
| 2003 | 12.1% | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 12.9% | +6.6% |
| 2005 | 14.2% | +10.1% |
| 2006 | 15.3% | +7.7% |
| 2007 | 15.1% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 13.8% | -8.6% |
| 2009 | 12.2% | -11.6% |
| 2010 | 11.6% | -4.9% |
| 2011 | 12.2% | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 12.5% | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 12.0% | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 11.4% | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 12.5% | +9.6% |
| 2016 | 15.9% | +27.2% |
| 2017 | 20.5% | +28.9% |
| 2018 | 23.2% | +13.2% |
| 2019 | 22.1% | -4.7% |
| 2020 | 18.8% | -14.9% |
| 2021 | 16.9% | -10.1% |
| 2022 | 17.7% | +4.7% |
| 2023 | 19.7% | +11.3% |
| 2024 | 20.3% | +3.0% |
| 2025 | 19.5% | -3.9% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 19.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.3%, 3.6× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 19.5% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 5.9%, 3.3× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 13.6% | 12.1% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.4% | 11.4% | 23.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.8% | 16.9% | 20.3% | 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 out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Jamaica?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Jamaica was 19.5% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 23.2% in 2018.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.4% in 2014.
- How does Jamaica rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Jamaica ranks 52nd out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 56.0%. 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 rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, both sexes (modelled data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release