Share of children who have completed primary school in Jamaica
Jamaica: Share of children who have completed primary school was 99.4% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Share of children who have completed primary school in Jamaica, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Jamaica recorded 99.4% for share of children who have completed primary school in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Jamaica peaked at 99.4% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 97.5%, in 1981.
That places Jamaica 49th out of 165 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 97.5% | — |
| 1982 | 97.6% | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 97.7% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 97.8% | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 97.8% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 97.9% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 98.0% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 98.0% | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 98.1% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 98.2% | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 98.3% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 98.3% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 98.4% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 98.6% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 98.6% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 98.7% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 98.7% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 99.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 98.7%, 1.0× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 99.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 96.7%, 1.0× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 97.8% | 97.5% | 98.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 98.5% | 98.2% | 98.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 98.9% | 98.8% | 99.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 99.2% | 99.0% | 99.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 99.3% | 99.2% | 99.4% | 6 |
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 children who have completed primary school in Jamaica?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Jamaica was 99.4% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 99.4% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 97.5% in 1981.
- How does Jamaica rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Jamaica ranks 49th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who have completed primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children who are three to five years older than the official age for the last grade of primary education who have successfully completed it. This broader age band is used to include children who started school late or had to resit particular years.