School age population, primary education, both sexes in Jamaica
Jamaica: School age population, primary education, both sexes was 211,441 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
211,441
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
140th
of 222 countries
All-time high
359,890
in 2002
All-time low
211,441
in 2025
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Jamaica, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Jamaica stood at 211,441. That is the lowest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.5% on the previous year and down 24.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Jamaica peaked at 359,890 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 211,441, in 2025.
Jamaica ranks 140th of 222 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 286,562 | — |
| 1971 | 343,913 | +20.0% |
| 1972 | 347,463 | +1.0% |
| 1973 | 349,211 | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 350,486 | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 350,680 | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 349,212 | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 346,862 | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 345,007 | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 343,417 | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 343,352 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | 342,687 | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 342,282 | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 341,409 | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 340,660 | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 339,126 | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 336,175 | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 334,338 | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 333,471 | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 334,122 | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 336,498 | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 339,429 | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 341,612 | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 344,552 | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 346,031 | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 346,421 | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 345,435 | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 345,379 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 347,336 | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 351,199 | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 355,059 | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 358,060 | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 359,890 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 359,179 | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 355,269 | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 348,225 | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 339,505 | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 329,181 | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 319,299 | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 310,389 | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 302,856 | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 296,511 | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 291,378 | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 287,511 | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 283,292 | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 278,073 | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 271,846 | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 264,918 | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 257,353 | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 249,594 | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 241,974 | -3.1% |
| 2021 | 235,051 | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 228,601 | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 222,484 | -2.7% |
| 2024 | 216,961 | -2.5% |
| 2025 | 211,441 | -2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 341,281 | 286,562 | 350,680 | 10 |
| 1980s | 338,762 | 333,471 | 343,352 | 10 |
| 1990s | 344,389 | 336,498 | 351,199 | 10 |
| 2000s | 343,406 | 310,389 | 359,890 | 10 |
| 2010s | 278,333 | 249,594 | 302,856 | 10 |
| 2020s | 226,085 | 211,441 | 241,974 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More education data for Jamaica
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,023 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 11,768 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, primary education, both sexes in Jamaica?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in Jamaica was 211,441 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 359,890 in 2002.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 211,441 in 2025.
- How does Jamaica rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- Jamaica ranks 140th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.0%. 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 School age population, primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release