Jamaica's unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) was 1.39% in 2023, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 5.48 percentage points from 6.87% in 2013.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 1.39% | 2023 |
| Five years earlier | 3.63% | 2018 |
| Ten years earlier | 6.87% | 2013 |
| Highest | 6.87% | 2013 |
| Lowest | 1.39% | 2023 |
| Average since 2014 | 3.54% | 2014–2023 |
| First recorded | 5.37% | 2008 |
What the numbers say
In 2023, Jamaica's unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) fell 0.76 percentage points on 2022 (from 2.15% to 1.39%).
Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2022), the average change was −0.23 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.62 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 0.46 percentage points in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.24 percentage points in 2014. 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 0.47 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 94% 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 0.13% 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 0.44%, against 1.09% 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Jamaica | 1.39% | 2023 |
| Latin America & Caribbean | 6.59% | 2024 |
Closest to Jamaica in the 2023 ranking
- Sri Lanka — 3rd of 7: 3.16%
- Indonesia — 4th of 7: 2.05%
- Philippines — 5th of 7: 1.89%
- Cambodia — 7th of 7: 0.26%
What this measures
The percentage of the labor force with a basic level of education who are unemployed. Basic education comprises primary education or lower secondary education 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
| Year | Unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 1.39 |
| 2022 | 2.15 |
| 2021 | 2.92 |
| 2020 | 3.25 |
| 2019 | 2.95 |
| 2018 | 3.63 |
| 2017 | 4.86 |
| 2016 | 5.12 |
| 2015 | no data |
| 2014 | 5.62 |
| 2013 |
Unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) in nearby economies
- Argentina — 2.12% (2024)
- Bolivia — 1.81% (2024)
- Brazil — 6.99% (2025)
- Chile — 8.68% (2025)
- Colombia — 7.24% (2025)
- Costa Rica — 6.14% (2025)
- Dominican Republic — 5.17% (2025)
- Ecuador — 1.35% (2025)
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
Questions people ask
- What is Jamaica's unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education)?
- 1.39% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2008?
- It is down 3.98 percentage points from 5.37% in 2008. The highest value was 6.87% in 2013 and the lowest 1.39% in 2023.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.UEM.BASC.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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