Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Jamaica
Jamaica: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes was 18.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Jamaica, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Jamaica recorded 18.7% for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in 2023.
The figure is down 20.8% on the previous year and down 17.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Jamaica peaked at 35.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 17.4%, in 2017.
That places Jamaica 97th out of 184 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 29.9% | — |
| 2000 | 35.2% | +17.5% |
| 2001 | 35.2% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 33.2% | -5.7% |
| 2003 | 34.0% | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 31.2% | -8.3% |
| 2005 | 31.0% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 22.7% | -26.7% |
| 2014 | 23.9% | +5.3% |
| 2015 | 24.4% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 18.8% | -23.0% |
| 2017 | 17.4% | -7.7% |
| 2018 | 21.4% | +23.2% |
| 2019 | 22.4% | +4.7% |
| 2021 | 23.3% | +3.8% |
| 2022 | 23.6% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 18.7% | -20.8% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 18.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 19.6%, 95% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 18.7% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 18.9%, 99% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 29.9% | 29.9% | 29.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 33.3% | 31.0% | 35.2% | 6 |
| 2010s | 21.6% | 17.4% | 24.4% | 7 |
| 2020s | 21.8% | 18.7% | 23.6% | 3 |
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 youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Jamaica?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Jamaica was 18.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 35.2% in 2000.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.4% in 2017.
- How does Jamaica rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes?
- Jamaica ranks 97th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release