Population having attained at least basic education in Jamaica
Jamaica: Population having attained at least basic education was 94.9 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
94.9
World rank
67th
of 111 countries
All-time high
97.9
in 1980
All-time low
17.6
in 1870
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Population having attained at least basic education in Jamaica, 1870–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Jamaica recorded 94.9 for population having attained at least basic education in 2020.
The figure is up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population having attained at least basic education in Jamaica peaked at 97.9 in 1980 and was at its lowest, 17.6, in 1870.
Jamaica ranks 67th of 111 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Population having attained at least basic education in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 17.6 | — |
| 1875 | 20.5 | +16.5% |
| 1880 | 24.1 | +17.6% |
| 1885 | 30.1 | +24.9% |
| 1890 | 37.6 | +24.9% |
| 1895 | 45.4 | +20.7% |
| 1900 | 51.2 | +12.8% |
| 1905 | 58.6 | +14.5% |
| 1910 | 62.8 | +7.2% |
| 1915 | 65.3 | +4.0% |
| 1920 | 67.9 | +4.0% |
| 1925 | 69.6 | +2.5% |
| 1930 | 71.3 | +2.4% |
| 1935 | 75.5 | +5.9% |
| 1940 | 78.7 | +4.2% |
| 1945 | 81 | +2.9% |
| 1950 | 82.4 | +1.7% |
| 1955 | 83.6 | +1.5% |
| 1960 | 84.7 | +1.3% |
| 1965 | 90.8 | +7.2% |
| 1970 | 96.6 | +6.4% |
| 1975 | 97.5 | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 97.9 | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 96 | -1.9% |
| 1990 | 96.1 | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 95.1 | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 94.8 | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 95.1 | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 94.7 | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 94.7 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 94.9 | +0.2% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 94.9 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 97.4, 97% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 94.9 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 97.1, 98% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 19.05 | 17.6 | 20.5 | 2 |
| 1880s | 27.1 | 24.1 | 30.1 | 2 |
| 1890s | 41.5 | 37.6 | 45.4 | 2 |
| 1900s | 54.9 | 51.2 | 58.6 | 2 |
| 1910s | 64.05 | 62.8 | 65.3 | 2 |
| 1920s | 68.75 | 67.9 | 69.6 | 2 |
| 1930s | 73.4 | 71.3 | 75.5 | 2 |
| 1940s | 79.85 | 78.7 | 81 | 2 |
| 1950s | 83 | 82.4 | 83.6 | 2 |
| 1960s | 87.75 | 84.7 | 90.8 | 2 |
| 1970s | 97.05 | 96.6 | 97.5 | 2 |
| 1980s | 96.95 | 96 | 97.9 | 2 |
| 1990s | 95.6 | 95.1 | 96.1 | 2 |
| 2000s | 94.95 | 94.8 | 95.1 | 2 |
| 2010s | 94.7 | 94.7 | 94.7 | 2 |
| 2020s | 94.9 | 94.9 | 94.9 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More education data for Jamaica
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 95.68 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 95.66 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population having attained at least basic education in Jamaica?
- Population having attained at least basic education in Jamaica was 94.9 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population having attained at least basic education recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 97.9 in 1980.
- What is the lowest population having attained at least basic education recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.6 in 1870.
- How does Jamaica rank for population having attained at least basic education?
- Jamaica ranks 67th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is population having attained at least basic education rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Population having attained at least basic education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).