Jamaica: Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Jamaica's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) rose 2.39 percentage points on 2022 (from 61.98% to 64.37%).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1975 to 2022), the average change was −0.04 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.42 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.7 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.39 percentage points in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.98 percentage points in 2020. 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 0.74 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 73% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 64.84% for 2026. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2021 to 2023 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 1.66%, against 3.82% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Jamaica in the 2023 ranking

• Indonesia — 1st of 8: 65.04%
• Armenia — 3rd of 8: 59.88%
• Grenada — 4th of 8: 58.42%
• Kyrgyz Republic — 5th of 8: 54.93%

What this measures

Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed.

Limitations: Comparability of employment-to-population ratios across countries is affected most significantly by variations in the definitions used for the employment and population figures. Differences result from age coverage, such as the lower and upper bounds for labor force activity. Estimates of both employment and population are also likely to vary according to whether members of the armed forces are included. Another area with scope for measurement differences has to do with the national treatment of particular groups of workers. The international definition of employment calls for inclusion of all persons who worked for at least one hour during the reference period.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 35 values

Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 57.63% (2025)
• Bahamas, The — 46.87% (2024)
• Barbados — 58.99% (2024)
• Belize — 63.41% (2019)
• Bolivia — 78.05% (2025)
• Brazil — 59.51% (2025)
• Cayman Islands — 79.28% (2015)
• Chile — 56.93% (2025)
• Colombia

More social protection & labor data for Jamaica

• Net migration — -11,053 (2025)
• Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) — 3.02% (2023)
• Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) — 3.92% (2023)
• Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) — 2.24% (2023)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 60.58% (2023)
• Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate) — 83.7% (2023)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 72.38% (2023)
• Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Jamaica's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate)?

64.37% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1974?

It is up 9.01 percentage points from 55.36% in 1974. The highest value was 64.37% in 2023 and the lowest 50.66% in 1980.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.NE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026 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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