Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male in Jamaica

Jamaica: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male was 17.2% in 2019. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2019)
17.2%
Change on year
up 7.6%
World rank
27th
of 166 countries
All-time high
17.2%
in 2019
All-time low
2.0%
in 1987
Years of data
27
1975–2019

Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male in Jamaica, 1975–2019

0510151975199720191975: 5.9 %1976: 8.6 %1977: 8.4 %1979: 5.1 %1980: 5.4 %1981: 4.8 %1983: 4.1 %1984: 5.2 %1985: 5.8 %1986: 5.6 %1987: 2 %1988: 5.7 %1989: 2.6 %1990: 2.9 %1991: 4.6 %1993: 6.4 %1999: 8.8 %2000: 7.2 %2001: 7.3 %2002: 8.4 %2003: 9.8 %2004: 7.5 %2015: 15.4 %2016: 13.5 %2017: 13.7 %2018: 16 %2019: 17.2 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Jamaica recorded 17.2% for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male in 2019. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.6% on the previous year and up 128.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male in Jamaica peaked at 17.2% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 1987.

Jamaica ranks 27th of 166 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, male in Jamaica, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male (%) in Jamaica, 1975 to 2019.
Year % Change
1975 5.9%
1976 8.6% +45.3%
1977 8.4% -2.7%
1979 5.1% -39.5%
1980 5.4% +6.0%
1981 4.8% -10.6%
1983 4.1% -15.9%
1984 5.2% +29.3%
1985 5.8% +11.2%
1986 5.6% -4.6%
1987 2.0% -64.4%
1988 5.7% +190.1%
1989 2.6% -55.1%
1990 2.9% +13.0%
1991 4.6% +57.3%
1993 6.4% +39.7%
1999 8.8% +36.8%
2000 7.2% -17.3%
2001 7.3% +0.2%
2002 8.4% +16.0%
2003 9.8% +15.9%
2004 7.5% -22.8%
2015 15.4% +103.9%
2016 13.5% -11.8%
2017 13.7% +1.2%
2018 16.0% +16.6%
2019 17.2% +7.6%

Jamaica compared with similar countries

  • Jamaica's 17.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.5%, 5.0× the median. (44 countries reporting)
  • Jamaica's 17.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 4.9%, 3.5× the median. (32 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male in Jamaica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1988 +190.1% 2.0% 5.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 7.0% 5.1% 8.6% 4
1980s 4.6% 2.0% 5.8% 9
1990s 5.7% 2.9% 8.8% 4
2000s 8.0% 7.2% 9.8% 5
2010s 15.2% 13.5% 17.2% 5

Countries ranked near Jamaica

  1. 24 Comoros 18.1% compare
  2. 25 Jordan 18.0% compare
  3. 26 Chad 17.3% compare
  4. 28 San Marino 16.8% compare
  5. 29 Zambia 16.8% compare
  6. 30 Eswatini 15.5% compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More education data for Jamaica

All data for Jamaica →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male in Jamaica?
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male 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, male 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, male recorded in Jamaica?
The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 1987.
How does Jamaica rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male?
Jamaica ranks 27th out of 166 countries with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male rising or falling in Jamaica?
Over the last ten years it is up 128.1%. 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male in Jamaica. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-of-primary-school-age-male-percent/jamaica/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
211 places, 5,130 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

The number of male students of the official age for primary education is subtracted from the total male population of the same age. The result is expressed as a percentage of the male population of the official age for primary education. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/