Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Jamaica

Jamaica: Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 34,770 number in 2019. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2019)
34,770 number
Change on year
up 7.3%
World rank
57th
of 148 countries
All-time high
34,770 number
in 2019
All-time low
1,702 number
in 1983
Years of data
18
1976–2019

Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Jamaica, 1976–2019

010.0k20.0k30.0k1976199720191976: 20.8k number1977: 12.0k number1981: 4.0k number1983: 1.7k number1984: 4.4k number1985: 5.2k number1986: 4.9k number1999: 19.5k number2000: 20.5k number2001: 22.4k number2002: 21.2k number2003: 22.2k number2004: 14.8k number2015: 23.2k number2016: 30.5k number2017: 32.0k number2018: 32.4k number2019: 34.8k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

Jamaica recorded 34,770 number for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in 2019. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.3% on the previous year and up 134.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Jamaica peaked at 34,770 number in 2019 and was at its lowest, 1,702 number, in 1983.

Jamaica ranks 57th of 148 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Jamaica, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (number) in Jamaica, 1976 to 2019.
Year number Change
1976 20,824 number
1977 12,023 number -42.3%
1981 3,959 number -67.1%
1983 1,702 number -57.0%
1984 4,411 number +159.2%
1985 5,203 number +18.0%
1986 4,893 number -6.0%
1999 19,457 number +297.6%
2000 20,536 number +5.5%
2001 22,441 number +9.3%
2002 21,160 number -5.7%
2003 22,188 number +4.9%
2004 14,829 number -33.2%
2015 23,223 number +56.6%
2016 30,497 number +31.3%
2017 32,043 number +5.1%
2018 32,393 number +1.1%
2019 34,770 number +7.3%

Jamaica compared with similar countries

  • Jamaica's 34,770 number is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15,685 number, 2.2× the median. (45 countries reporting)
  • Jamaica's 34,770 number is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 16,908 number, 2.1× the median. (34 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Jamaica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1999 +297.6% 4,893 number 19,457 number
1984 +159.2% 1,702 number 4,411 number

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 16,424 number 12,023 number 20,824 number 2
1980s 4,034 number 1,702 number 5,203 number 5
1990s 19,457 number 19,457 number 19,457 number 1
2000s 20,231 number 14,829 number 22,441 number 5
2010s 30,585 number 23,223 number 34,770 number 5

Countries ranked near Jamaica

  1. 54 Bulgaria 36,586 number compare
  2. 55 Dominican Republic 36,483 number compare
  3. 56 Puerto Rico 35,635 number compare
  4. 58 Korea 31,090 number compare
  5. 59 Djibouti 30,531 number compare
  6. 60 Nicaragua 28,855 number compare

See the full ranking of 193 places →

More reference data data for Jamaica

All data for Jamaica →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Jamaica?
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Jamaica was 34,770 number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Jamaica?
The highest recorded value was 34,770 number in 2019.
What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Jamaica?
The lowest recorded value was 1,702 number in 1983.
How does Jamaica rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
Jamaica ranks 57th out of 148 countries with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary rising or falling in Jamaica?
Over the last ten years it is up 134.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Jamaica data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Jamaica. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-children-and-adolescents-of-primary-and-lower-secondary-school-age-female/jamaica/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
193 places, 4,451 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age who are not enrolled or attending school during in a given academic year. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/