Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Jamaica
Jamaica: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 17.2% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Jamaica, 1975–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Jamaica is 17.2%, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
That represents a change of up 9.6% on the previous year and up 138.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Jamaica peaked at 17.2% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 1989.
Jamaica ranks 28th of 188 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 4.8% | — |
| 1976 | 7.5% | +54.6% |
| 1977 | 7.0% | -6.2% |
| 1979 | 3.5% | -50.0% |
| 1980 | 3.5% | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 3.6% | +2.7% |
| 1983 | 2.6% | -28.9% |
| 1984 | 3.8% | +47.0% |
| 1985 | 4.5% | +19.8% |
| 1986 | 4.3% | -4.6% |
| 1987 | 2.2% | -47.9% |
| 1988 | 5.4% | +139.4% |
| 1989 | 1.9% | -64.6% |
| 1990 | 2.6% | +38.8% |
| 1991 | 4.3% | +62.4% |
| 1993 | 7.3% | +71.5% |
| 1999 | 8.6% | +17.5% |
| 2000 | 7.2% | -17.0% |
| 2001 | 7.1% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 7.9% | +11.2% |
| 2003 | 9.2% | +15.9% |
| 2004 | 7.2% | -21.7% |
| 2015 | 11.8% | +64.7% |
| 2016 | 13.3% | +12.3% |
| 2017 | 13.8% | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 15.6% | +13.2% |
| 2019 | 17.2% | +9.6% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 17.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.9%, 8.8× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 17.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2.1%, 8.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.7% | 3.5% | 7.5% | 4 |
| 1980s | 3.5% | 1.9% | 5.4% | 9 |
| 1990s | 5.7% | 2.6% | 8.6% | 4 |
| 2000s | 7.7% | 7.1% | 9.2% | 5 |
| 2010s | 14.4% | 11.8% | 17.2% | 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 out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Jamaica?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Jamaica was 17.2% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 17.2% in 2019.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 1989.
- How does Jamaica rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Jamaica ranks 28th out of 188 countries with data for 2019.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 138.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The number of students of the official age for primary education is subtracted from the total population of the same age. The result is expressed as a percentage of the population of the official age for primary education. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/