Share of the population with at least some formal education in Jamaica
Jamaica: Share of the population with at least some formal 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
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Jamaica, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Jamaica recorded 94.9% for share of the population with at least some formal education in 2020.
The figure is up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal 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.
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % | 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 | 81.0% | +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 | 96.0% | -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 | 19.1% | 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 | 64.0% | 62.8% | 65.3% | 2 |
| 1920s | 68.8% | 67.9% | 69.6% | 2 |
| 1930s | 73.4% | 71.3% | 75.5% | 2 |
| 1940s | 79.8% | 78.7% | 81.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 83.0% | 82.4% | 83.6% | 2 |
| 1960s | 87.8% | 84.7% | 90.8% | 2 |
| 1970s | 97.0% | 96.6% | 97.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 97.0% | 96.0% | 97.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 95.6% | 95.1% | 96.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 94.9% | 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
- 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 share of the population with at least some formal education in Jamaica?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Jamaica was 94.9% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 97.9% in 1980.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.6% in 1870.
- How does Jamaica rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Jamaica ranks 67th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal 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 Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some formal 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).
About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.