Jamaica: Primary education, pupils (% female)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Jamaica's primary education, pupils (% female) fell 0.71 percentage points on 2017 (from 48.8% to 48.08%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1976 to 2017), the average change was −0.04 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.55 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below 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 1.99 percentage points in 2015 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.69 percentage points in 2016. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2018 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2018, Jamaica had the 63rd highest value of the 88 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.

Closest to Jamaica in the 2018 ranking

• El Salvador — 59th of 88: 48.12%
• Lao PDR — 60th of 88: 48.11%
• Mozambique — 61st of 88: 48.1%
• Tunisia — 63rd of 88: 48.03%
• Samoa — 64th of 88: 48.01%
• Côte d'Ivoire — 65th of 88: 47.9%

What this measures

Female pupils as a percentage of total pupils at primary level include enrollments in public and private schools.

Limitations: The percentage of female enrollment is limited in assessing gender parity, because it's affected by the gender composition of population. Ratio of female to male in enrollment rate provides a population adjusted measure of gender parity.

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

All 40 values

Primary education, pupils (% female) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 49.2% (2018)
• Argentina — 49.04% (2017)
• Bahamas, The — 49.57% (2018)
• Barbados — 48.32% (2018)
• Belize — 47.74% (2018)
• Bolivia — 48.68% (2018)
• Brazil — 47.91% (2017)
• British Virgin Islands — 46.91% (2017)
• Cayman Islands — 48.38% (2018)
• Chile — 48.4% (2017)
• Colombia

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

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Questions people ask

What is Jamaica's primary education, pupils (% female)?

48.08% in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is down 1.82 percentage points from 49.9% in 1971. The highest value was 50.45% in 2015 and the lowest 48.08% in 2018.

How does Jamaica rank?

63rd highest of 88 economies with data for 2018.

Is the latest change in primary education, pupils (% female) unusual for Jamaica?

In 2018, Jamaica's primary education, pupils (% female) fell 0.71 percentage points on 2017 (from 48.8% to 48.08%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1976 to 2017), the average change was −0.04 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.55 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.ENRL.FE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 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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