Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Jamaica
Jamaica: Share of the population with completed tertiary education was 18.4 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2020)
18.4
World rank
45th
of 111 countries
All-time high
18.4
in 2020
All-time low
0
in 1870
Years of data
31
1870–2020
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Jamaica, 1870–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Jamaica recorded 18.4 for share of the population with completed tertiary education in 2020. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is up 15.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with completed tertiary education in Jamaica peaked at 18.4 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1870.
That places Jamaica 45th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0 | — |
| 1875 | 0 | — |
| 1880 | 0 | — |
| 1885 | 0 | — |
| 1890 | 0 | — |
| 1895 | 0 | — |
| 1900 | 0 | — |
| 1905 | 0 | — |
| 1910 | 0.1 | — |
| 1915 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.2 | +100.0% |
| 1925 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.2 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.3 | +50.0% |
| 1940 | 0.3 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.4 | +33.3% |
| 1950 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.7 | +75.0% |
| 1970 | 1.2 | +71.4% |
| 1975 | 1.6 | +33.3% |
| 1980 | 2.3 | +43.7% |
| 1985 | 2.7 | +17.4% |
| 1990 | 3.7 | +37.0% |
| 1995 | 7.8 | +110.8% |
| 2000 | 14 | +79.5% |
| 2005 | 14.8 | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 16 | +8.1% |
| 2015 | 17.1 | +6.9% |
| 2020 | 18.4 | +7.6% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 18.4 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.25, 1.2× the median. (30 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 18.4 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.8, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1890s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 2 |
| 1920s | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 2 |
| 1930s | 0.25 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 2 |
| 1940s | 0.35 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 2 |
| 1950s | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 2 |
| 1960s | 0.55 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 2 |
| 1970s | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 2 |
| 1980s | 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 2 |
| 1990s | 5.75 | 3.7 | 7.8 | 2 |
| 2000s | 14.4 | 14 | 14.8 | 2 |
| 2010s | 16.55 | 16 | 17.1 | 2 |
| 2020s | 18.4 | 18.4 | 18.4 | 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 share of the population with completed tertiary education in Jamaica?
- Share of the population with completed tertiary education in Jamaica was 18.4 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 18.4 in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with completed tertiary education recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1870.
- How does Jamaica rank for share of the population with completed tertiary education?
- Jamaica ranks 45th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with completed tertiary education rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with completed tertiary 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).