Jamaica's adolescents out of school, female (% of female lower secondary school age) was 20.07% in 2023, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 7.68 percentage points from 12.39% in 2013.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 20.07% | 2023 |
| Five years earlier | 16.93% | 2018 |
| Ten years earlier | 12.39% | 2013 |
| Highest | 20.07% | 2023 |
| Lowest | 6.18% | 1976 |
| Average since 2014 | 15.81% | 2014–2023 |
| First recorded | 6.18% | 1976 |
What the numbers say
In 2023, Jamaica's adolescents out of school, female (% of female lower secondary school age) rose 2.48 percentage points on 2022 (from 17.59% to 20.07%).
Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2022), the average change was +0.32 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.26 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.63 percentage points in 2017 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.89 percentage points in 2004. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.95 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 80% of the movement over 9 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2023, Jamaica had the 4th highest value of the 26 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Jamaica | 20.07% | 2023 |
| Upper middle income | 5.3% | 2025 |
Closest to Jamaica in the 2023 ranking
What this measures
Adolescents out of school are the percentage of lower secondary school age adolescents who are not enrolled in school.
Limitations: The administrative data used in the calculation of the rate of out-of-school children are based on enrolment at a specific date which can bias the results by either counting enrolled children who never attend school or by omitting those who enroll after the reference date for reporting enrolment data. Furthermore, children who drop out of school after the reference date are not counted as out of school. Discrepancies between enrolment and population data from different sources can also result in over- or underestimates of the rate.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 18 values
| Year | Adolescents out of school, female (% of female lower secondary school age) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 20.07 |
| 2022 | 17.59 |
| 2021 | 18.29 |
| 2020 | no data |
| 2019 | 17.09 |
| 2018 | 16.93 |
| 2017 | 17.59 |
| 2016 | 12.96 |
| 2015 | 11.2 |
| 2014 | 10.6 |
| 2013 |
Adolescents out of school, female (% of female lower secondary school age) in nearby economies
- Barbados — 3.01% (2024)
- Belize — 6.4% (2024)
- Bolivia — 8.5% (2024)
- Brazil — 4.14% (2024)
- Cayman Islands — 2.49% (2024)
- Chile — 1.49% (2022)
- Colombia — 3.71% (2022)
- Costa Rica — 7.68% (2024)
- Cuba
More education data for Jamaica
- Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils — 211,097 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 97.3% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 97.08% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 97.5% (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils — 177,095 (2024)
- School enrollment, secondary (% gross) — 84.46% (2024)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Jamaica's adolescents out of school, female (% of female lower secondary school age)?
- 20.07% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1976?
- It is up 13.9 percentage points from 6.18% in 1976. The highest value was 20.07% in 2023 and the lowest 6.18% in 1976.
- How does Jamaica rank?
- 4th highest of 26 economies with data for 2023.
- Is the latest change in adolescents out of school, female (% of female lower secondary school age) unusual for Jamaica?
- In 2023, Jamaica's adolescents out of school, female (% of female lower secondary school age) rose 2.48 percentage points on 2022 (from 17.59% to 20.07%). Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2022), the average change was +0.32 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.26 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.UNER.LO.FE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
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