Jamaica: Unemployment with advanced education, female (% of female labor force with advanced education)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Jamaica's unemployment with advanced education, female (% of female labor force with advanced education) fell 0.46 percentage points on 2022 (from 2.11% to 1.64%).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2022), the average change was −0.2 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.49 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below 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 1.78 percentage points in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.91 percentage points in 2018. 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 downward, about 0.61 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 79% 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Jamaica in the 2023 ranking

• Sri Lanka — 3rd of 6: 7.56%
• Indonesia — 4th of 6: 3.78%
• Philippines — 5th of 6: 3.2%

What this measures

The percentage of the labor force with an advanced level of education who are unemployed. Advanced education comprises short-cycle tertiary education, a bachelor’s degree or equivalent education level, a master’s degree or equivalent education level, or doctoral degree or equivalent education level according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).

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

All 15 values

Unemployment with advanced education, female (% of female labor force with advanced education) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 0.73% (2024)
• Bolivia — 5.36% (2024)
• Brazil — 3.8% (2025)
• Chile — 8.06% (2025)
• Colombia — 10.32% (2025)
• Costa Rica — 3.77% (2025)
• Dominican Republic — 4.96% (2025)
• Ecuador

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

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Questions people ask

What is Jamaica's unemployment with advanced education, female (% of female labor force with advanced education)?

1.64% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2008?

It is down 1.47 percentage points from 3.11% in 2008. The highest value was 7.94% in 2013 and the lowest 1.64% in 2023.

Is the latest change in unemployment with advanced education, female (% of female labor force with advanced education) unusual for Jamaica?

In 2023, Jamaica's unemployment with advanced education, female (% of female labor force with advanced education) fell 0.46 percentage points on 2022 (from 2.11% to 1.64%). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2022), the average change was −0.2 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.49 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below 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 SL.UEM.ADVN.FE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: March 30, 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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