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 20.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Jamaica, 1976–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Jamaica recorded 20.1% for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in 2023. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.
The figure is up 14.1% on the previous year and up 62.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Jamaica peaked at 20.1% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6.2%, in 1976.
Jamaica ranks 41st of 162 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 6.2% | — |
| 1999 | 10.9% | +75.7% |
| 2000 | 14.0% | +29.2% |
| 2001 | 15.4% | +9.9% |
| 2002 | 13.5% | -12.6% |
| 2003 | 13.3% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 9.4% | -29.3% |
| 2005 | 11.1% | +17.6% |
| 2013 | 12.4% | +12.1% |
| 2014 | 10.6% | -14.4% |
| 2015 | 11.2% | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 13.0% | +15.7% |
| 2017 | 17.6% | +35.7% |
| 2018 | 16.9% | -3.7% |
| 2019 | 17.1% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 18.3% | +7.0% |
| 2022 | 17.6% | -3.8% |
| 2023 | 20.1% | +14.1% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 20.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7.9%, 2.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 20.1% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 8.5%, 2.4× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.2% | 6.2% | 6.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 10.9% | 10.9% | 10.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 12.8% | 9.4% | 15.4% | 6 |
| 2010s | 14.1% | 10.6% | 17.6% | 7 |
| 2020s | 18.7% | 17.6% | 20.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
- 38 Solomon Islands 22.1% compare
- 39 Micronesia, Federated States of 21.6% compare
- 40 Nicaragua 20.8% compare
- 42 El Salvador 19.9% compare
- 43 Panama 19.7% compare
- 44 British Virgin Islands 18.6% compare
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 20.1% in 2023, 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 20.1% in 2023.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.2% in 1976.
- How does Jamaica rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Jamaica ranks 41st out of 162 countries with data for 2023.
- 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 62.0%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release