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Photo: Konstantin Papushin · CC BY-SA 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 04 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Jamaica: Education & Knowledge
How far does a country's schooling carry its children?
Jamaica is placed 55th of 171 countries on education & knowledge in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Upper Secondary Completion Rate 92 (2025); Youth Literacy Rate 93.57 (2024).
Education & Knowledge
55th
of 171 countries placed
Placed from 4 of 4 key statistics
- 92Upper Secondary Completion Rate, 2025Upper secondary completion rate (%)
- 93.57Youth Literacy Rate, 202415–24 year-olds who can read and write (%)
- 5.655Government Spending on Education, 2023Government expenditure on education (% of GDP)
- 4.341Out-of-School Rate, Primary, 2024Out-of-school rate, primary age (%)
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Jamaica on education & knowledge — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 4
Upper Secondary Completion Rate
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)
Why it is a key: How far a schooling system carries the young people who get through primary — the only key here that measures anything past childhood.
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY-SA 4.0
92
Upper secondary completion rate (%)
Higher is better
Jamaica: 92. Across the 164 countries in this edition, values run from 2.13 (South Sudan) to 99.27 (South Korea); the world median is 64.87.
- World median
- 64.87
- Best in Caribbean
- 95.71 Barbados
Each grey tick is one of 164 countries in the 2025 edition.
Key 2 of 4
Youth Literacy Rate
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)
Why it is a key: Whether 15- to 24-year-olds can read and write — the only key here that tests what a schooling system produced, rather than how many passed through it or what it cost.
Latest reading per country, 2014–2024 · Jamaica’s is from 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0
93.57
15–24 year-olds who can read and write (%)
Higher is better
Jamaica: 93.57. Across the 174 countries at their latest reading, values run from 36.7 (South Sudan) to 100 (Uzbekistan); the world median is 98.22.
- World median
- 98.22
- Best in Caribbean
- 100 Barbados
Each grey tick is one of 174 countries at its latest reading, 2014–2024.
Key 3 of 4
Government Spending on Education
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)
Why it is a key: What a state chooses to spend on education, as a share of its economy — the input, where the other two keys measure reach.
2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY-SA 4.0
5.655
Government expenditure on education (% of GDP)
Higher is better
Jamaica: 5.655. Across the 123 countries in this edition, values run from 0 (Somalia) to 16.39 (Kiribati); the world median is 3.709.
- World median
- 3.709
- Best in Caribbean
- 7.19 Montserrat
Each grey tick is one of 123 countries in the 2023 edition.
Key 4 of 4
Out-of-School Rate, Primary
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)
Why it is a key: Primary-age children who are not in school at all: the floor of an education system.
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY-SA 4.0
4.341
Out-of-school rate, primary age (%)
Lower is better
Jamaica: 4.341. Across the 121 countries in this edition, values run from 0.004 (United Arab Emirates) to 64.73 (South Sudan); the world median is 3.691.
- World median
- 3.691
- Best in Caribbean
- 0.133 Turks and Caicos Islands
Each grey tick is one of 121 countries in the 2024 edition.
02Over time
Which way Jamaica is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Upper Secondary Completion Rate
Upper secondary completion rate (%) · higher is better
JamaicaWorld median
Jamaica rose from 73.16 in 2000 to 92 in 2025; the world median went from 38 to 64.87.
Every year’s figures
Year Jamaica World median 2025 92.0 64.9 2024 91.6 65.0 2023 91.2 64.2 2022 90.7 63.6 2021 90.2 62.9 2020 89.7 62.2 2019 89.2 61.5 2018 88.6 60.9 2017 88.1 60.5 2016 87.6 60.1 2015 87.3 58.9 2014 86.9 57.0 2013 86.6 54.7 2012 86.2 52.4 2011 85.7 50.9 2010 85.1 49.5 2009 84.3 48.5 2008 83.5 47.4 2007 82.6 46.2 2006 81.7 45.0 2005 80.4 43.8 2004 79.1 42.9 2003 77.7 41.6 2002 76.4 40.3 2001 74.9 39.0 2000 73.2 38.0 Government Spending on Education
Government expenditure on education (% of GDP) · higher is better
JamaicaWorld median
Jamaica rose from 4.983 in 2000 to 5.655 in 2023; the world median went from 3.886 to 3.709.
Every year’s figures
Year Jamaica World median 2023 5.6545 3.7092 2022 5.3544 4.0570 2021 5.6312 4.2611 2020 5.3807 4.4056 2019 5.1636 4.1407 2018 5.4138 4.2159 2017 5.2602 4.1401 2016 5.3146 4.2342 2015 5.4552 4.2386 2014 6.0158 4.2005 2013 6.2511 4.3493 2012 6.1125 4.0348 2011 6.2666 3.9987 2010 6.3706 4.1396 2009 6.1985 4.6638 2008 6.1913 4.4226 2007 5.4902 4.1717 2006 — 4.0593 2005 4.6164 4.0557 2004 3.9125 3.9745 2003 4.2568 4.1595 2002 5.3752 4.0173 2001 5.3810 4.1002 2000 4.9835 3.8861 Out-of-School Rate, Primary
Out-of-school rate, primary age (%) · lower is better
JamaicaWorld median
Jamaica fell from 10.93 in 2000 to 4.341 in 2024; the world median went from 8.642 to 3.691.
Every year’s figures
Year Jamaica World median 2024 4.34 3.691 2023 12.41 3.393 2022 6.75 3.002 2021 15.02 3.330 2020 12.58 2.678 2019 9.20 2.758 2018 10.37 2.439 2017 10.51 2.907 2016 11.10 2.954 2015 10.49 3.052 2014 10.69 3.904 2013 8.77 3.413 2012 — 3.408 2011 — 3.626 2010 — 3.491 2009 — 3.577 2008 — 3.878 2007 — 4.029 2006 — 4.338 2005 10.13 4.571 2004 10.11 3.791 2003 13.15 4.412 2002 12.26 4.144 2001 11.15 4.051 2000 10.93 8.642
03In context
Jamaica beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 171 countries on education & knowledge, never a place within the region.
1st171stNot placed · 53 countries with too few key statisticsNo data
Jamaica and Caribbean
Jamaica has no land border, so the table compares it with its sub-region. The standing is each country’s place among all 171 placed on the topic; the other columns are the publishers’ own values, read at the edition the standing used.
| Country | Standing | Upper Secondary Completion RateUpper secondary completion rate (%) | Youth Literacy Rate15–24 year-olds who can read and write (%) | Government Spending on EducationGovernment expenditure on education (% of GDP) | Out-of-School Rate, PrimaryOut-of-school rate, primary age (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Turks and Caicos Islands | =32nd | — | 99.94 | 2.6877 | 0.133 |
| Jamaica | 55th | 92 | 93.57 | 5.6545 | 4.341 |
 Cuba | 67th | 74.13 | 99.61 | — | 4.684 |
 Grenada | 71st | — | 98.96 | 5.1254 | 4.941 |
 Barbados | 84th | 95.71 | 100 | 3.7754 | 17.6 |
 Saint Lucia | 91st | 94.25 | 99.98 | 2.7421 | 7.012 |
 Dominican Republic | 95th | 64.68 | 98.21 | 3.7606 | 4.928 |
 Curaçao | =111th | — | — | 5.3007 | 27.89 |
 Trinidad and Tobago | 113th | 84.85 | 92 | 3.2336 | 7.164 |
 Puerto Rico | =115th | — | 92.39 | 4.2690 | 13.25 |
 Cayman Islands | 119th | — | 98.91 | 1.5702 | 5.169 |
 Bahamas | 144th | — | — | 2.7419 | 15.88 |
 British Virgin Islands | 149th | — | — | 3.1728 | 26.97 |
 Haiti | =161st | 18.48 | 88.87 | 0.9646 | — |
 Anguilla | not placed | — | 99.11 | — | — |
 Antigua and Barbuda | not placed | — | — | 3.1051 | — |
 Aruba | not placed | — | 99.14 | — | — |
 Dominica | not placed | — | — | 4.6942 | — |
 Montserrat | not placed | — | — | 7.1902 | — |
 Saint Kitts and Nevis | not placed | — | — | 3.4973 | — |
 Saint Martin | not placed | — | — | — | — |
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | not placed | — | 97.96 | 6.4583 | — |
 Sint Maarten | not placed | — | — | 3.9236 | — |
 United States Virgin Islands | not placed | — | — | — | — |
“—” means the publisher gives no reading for that country in that edition. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed.
Across Caribbean
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 171.
- Turks and Caicos Islands=32nd
- Jamaica55th
- Cuba67th
- Grenada71st
- Barbados84th
- Saint Lucia91st
- Dominican Republic95th
- Curaçao=111th
- Trinidad and Tobago113th
- Puerto Rico=115th
- Cayman Islands119th
- Bahamas144th
- British Virgin Islands149th
- Haiti=161st
- Anguillanot placed
- Antigua and Barbudanot placed
- Arubanot placed
- Dominicanot placed
- Montserratnot placed
- Saint Kitts and Nevisnot placed
- Saint Martinnot placed
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadinesnot placed
- Sint Maartennot placed
- United States Virgin Islandsnot placed
Placed either side on education & knowledge
The countries immediately above and below Jamaica in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Jamaica is ahead of the world, and behind
14 more statistics filed under education & knowledge, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median5
Statistics on which Jamaica does better than the middle country measured.
Academic Freedom IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2025 · world median 0.6190.9390.619▲ Improved since 2015
Jamaica: 0.939 · world median 0.619 · Academic freedom index (0–1). V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.019 to 0.978; higher is better.
Position 4th of 176 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Pre-Primary Net Enrolment RateUIS · 2024 · world median 65.9398.765.93▲ Improved since 2014
Jamaica: 98.7 · world median 65.93 · Net enrolment rate, pre-primary (%). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 1.779 to 99.85; higher is better.
Position 7th of 120 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Government Funding per Primary StudentUIS · 2022 · world median 17.8125.1917.81▲ Improved since 2012
Jamaica: 25.19 · world median 17.81 · Government funding per primary student (% of GDP per capita). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 3.771 to 34.57; higher is better.
Position 5th of 68 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Primary Completion RateUIS · 2025 · world median 97.4399.3797.43▼ Worsened since 2015
Jamaica: 99.37 · world median 97.43 · Primary completion rate (%). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 7.94 to 100; higher is better.
Position 49th of 165 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Mean Years of SchoolingUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 9.9339.969.933No real change since 2013
Jamaica: 9.96 · world median 9.933 · Mean years of schooling (adults 25+). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 1.412 to 14.3; higher is better.
Position 96th of 193 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Behind the world median8
Statistics on which Jamaica does worse than the middle country measured.
Learning-Adjusted Years of SchoolWorld Bank Group · 2020 · world median 7.9417.0587.941▼ Worsened since 2017
Jamaica: 7.058 · world median 7.941 · Learning-adjusted years of school (0–14). World Bank Group, 2020 edition, data for 2020.
Published values in that edition run from 2.207 to 12.81; higher is better.
Position 104th of 172 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
PISA Reading PerformanceOECD · 2022 · world median 440.35409.63440.35No earlier reading
Jamaica: 409.63 · world median 440.35 · Mean reading score. OECD, 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 328.84 to 542.55; higher is better.
Position 52nd of 79 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Expected Years of SchoolingUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 13.3412.3813.34▼ Worsened since 2013
Jamaica: 12.38 · world median 13.34 · Expected years of schooling. UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 5.635 to 21.69; higher is better.
Position 131st of 195 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Harmonized Test ScoresWorld Bank Group · 2020 · world median 414.32387.13414.32No real change since 2017
Jamaica: 387.13 · world median 414.32 · Harmonized test score (TIMSS-equivalent points; 300 = minimum, 625 = advanced attainment). World Bank Group, 2020 edition, data for 2020.
Published values in that edition run from 304.92 to 575.27; higher is better.
Position 117th of 172 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Adult Literacy RateUIS · 2024 · world median 93.9979.9293.99No earlier reading
Jamaica: 79.92 · world median 93.99 · Adults 15+ who can read and write (%). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 26.83 to 100; higher is better.
Position 121st of 172 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Secondary School EnrolmentUIS · 2024 · world median 93.1984.4693.19▼ Worsened since 2014
Jamaica: 84.46 · world median 93.19 · Gross secondary enrolment ratio (%). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 19.87 to 158.55; higher is better.
Position 82nd of 109 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
PISA Science PerformanceOECD · 2022 · world median 446.93402.93446.93No earlier reading
Jamaica: 402.93 · world median 446.93 · Mean science score. OECD, 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 347.1 to 561.43; higher is better.
Position 62nd of 79 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
PISA Mathematics PerformanceOECD · 2022 · world median 442.09377.42442.09No earlier reading
Jamaica: 377.42 · world median 442.09 · Mean mathematics score. OECD, 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 336.4 to 574.66; higher is better.
Position 65th of 79 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
No better end1
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Female Share of ResearchersUIS · 2024 · world median 38.1749.1238.17No earlier reading
Jamaica: 49.12 · world median 38.17 · Researchers who are women (% of headcount; 50 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 76.54.
No current reading for Jamaica
Inbound Mobility Rate, Tertiary (last 2000), Learning Poverty, Outbound Mobility Ratio, Tertiary (last 2015), Research and Development Spending (last 2002), Researchers per Million Inhabitants, School Life Expectancy (last 2015), Tertiary Enrolment Ratio (last 2015) and Upper Secondary Attainment (last 2022). Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
05Country Index 2026
Education & Knowledge among Jamaica’s 16 topics
Education & Knowledge is Jamaica’s 6th best-placed topic of 16. Strongest first; each marker sits at the position divided by that topic’s field, so fields of different sizes compare fairly.
- Work & Labour25th of 1824/4 keys
- Gender & Equality37th of 1834/4 keys
- Peace & Security36th of 1774/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties53rd of 1983/3 keys
- Governance & Institutions56th of 1944/4 keys
- Education & Knowledge55th of 1714/4 keys
- Environment & Sustainability88th of 1813/3 keys
- Risk & Resilience97th of 1923/3 keys
- Economy & Innovation93rd of 1763/4 keys
- Mobility & Tradejoint 80th of 1472/3 keys
- Poverty & Inequality89th of 1592/2 keys
- Health & Wellbeing119th of 2004/4 keys
- Digital & Technology130th of 1983/3 keys
- Development & Human Capital132nd of 1963/3 keys
- Energy144th of 1933/3 keys
- Food & Agriculture153rd of 1754/4 keys
06The top of the list
Who leads on education & knowledge
The three countries placed highest of 171, and the leaders Jamaica can most readily be measured against.
1
South KoreaEastern Asia
1st of 171 · 2 of 4 keys
Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
2
UzbekistanCentral Asia
2nd of 171 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
3
PolandEastern Europe
3rd of 171 · 2 of 4 keys
Photo: Ralf Lotys (Sicherlich) · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Americas
Turks and Caicos Islands=32nd3/4 keysThis page
Jamaica55th4/4 keys
Positions out of 171 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Questions
Jamaica on education & knowledge: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Jamaica rank on education & knowledge?
Jamaica is placed 55th of 171 countries on Education & Knowledge in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics (Upper Secondary Completion Rate, Youth Literacy Rate, Government Spending on Education and Out-of-School Rate, Primary). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Upper Secondary Completion Rate figure for Jamaica?
92 in 2025 (upper secondary completion rate (%)), according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). The world median in the same edition was 64.87.
What is the latest Youth Literacy Rate figure for Jamaica?
93.57 in 2024 (15–24 year-olds who can read and write (%)), according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). The world median in the same edition was 98.22.
How have Jamaica’s education & knowledge figures changed?
Upper Secondary Completion Rate rose from 73.16 in 2000 to 92 in 2025; Government Spending on Education rose from 4.983 in 2000 to 5.655 in 2023; Out-of-School Rate, Primary fell from 10.93 in 2000 to 4.341 in 2024.
Which education & knowledge statistics are missing for Jamaica?
No current reading is published for Jamaica on Inbound Mobility Rate, Tertiary, Learning Poverty, Outbound Mobility Ratio, Tertiary, Research and Development Spending, Researchers per Million Inhabitants, School Life Expectancy, Tertiary Enrolment Ratio and Upper Secondary Attainment. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
08Keep reading
Explore further
Jamaica, topic by topic
- Governance & Institutions56th of 194
- Economy & Innovation93rd of 176
- Work & Labour25th of 182
- Health & Wellbeing119th of 200
- Development & Human Capital132nd of 196
- Environment & Sustainability88th of 181
- Gender & Equality37th of 183
- Democracy & Civil Liberties53rd of 198
- Peace & Security36th of 177
- Risk & Resilience97th of 192
- Mobility & Trade=80th of 147
- Food & Agriculture153rd of 175
- Poverty & Inequality89th of 159
- Energy144th of 193
- Digital & Technology130th of 198
- The full Jamaica profile
Nearby, on education & knowledge
The key statistics, for every country
09Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
How much children actually learn is only partly covered. International test scores exist for a limited group of countries, and they are published here as context rather than used as a key, because a key must describe most of the world. Universities, research and adult literacy also appear as context.
How the Education & Knowledge standing is decided, step by step
A standing is a place in a list, not a mark out of anything. This one is part of the Country Index 2026, and it is worked out like this.
- A few key indicators decide it; the rest are context. 4 indicators on this topic are keys and 22 are charted alongside them without a vote. That split is the point: if every statistic voted, importing five more of one kind would quietly change what the topic is about.
- Each key is read at one edition. ⚠ The keys behind this standing do not all describe the same year — they run from 2023 to 2025, because publishers release on their own schedules. Read the standing as “how this country places now”, not as a snapshot of one year.
- Every country’s published value is turned into a place within that one key’s own field, and then expressed as a share of that field — how far down this key’s list the country sits, rather than how many countries are above it. Keys where a higher published number is worse (terrorism, hunger, disaster risk) are turned round first, so the good end is always the same end.
- Dividing by the field first is the whole reason this works. A place carries the size of its list inside it: 22nd of 44 and 108th of 215 are the same showing, and averaging the numbers 22 and 108 says loudly that they are not. Fields on this site run from about 44 countries to about 215, so averaging raw places would reward a country for happening to be measured in small ones. Dividing each place by its own field removes the size and leaves only the showing.
- The shares are averaged, plainly. One key, one vote — no key is weighted above another, because any weighting would be this site’s opinion presented as a measurement. Countries are then put in order by that average, and the average itself is never published. It is our arithmetic with nothing anchoring it, so printing it would invite it to be read as a measurement somebody made. The position it produces, the band, and the keys it was built from are all published instead — every one of them checkable against the tables on this page.
- A country needs 2 of this topic’s 4 keys — half, rounded up, and never fewer than 2. A standing built from one reading, printed beside one built from four, is two different things sharing a column heading. 171 countries clear the bar here.
- A key has to earn its vote every edition. It must measure at least 120 countries (below that it starts measuring who was surveyed rather than the world), it must not have more than 10% of its field tied at either end, and it must not repeat another key in the same topic — Spearman correlation above 0.92 counts as repeating. A topic needs at least 2 surviving keys to place anyone at all; this one has 4.
- A standing is relative, and the grouping is ours. It says where a country places against the others measured alongside it, so it moves when they move. The publishers listed on this page did not agree to be read together, and each measures its subject its own way: the underlying numbers are theirs, the ordering on top is this site’s — the same method as the rest of the Country Index, applied to one subject instead of all of them.
The key statistics and their licences
- Upper Secondary Completion Rate — UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), CC BY-SA 4.0
- Youth Literacy Rate — UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), CC BY-SA 4.0
- Government Spending on Education — UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), CC BY-SA 4.0
- Out-of-School Rate, Primary — UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), CC BY-SA 4.0
The other 14 statistics on this page come from 5 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Jamaica’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Jamaica (banner) — Konstantin Papushin, CC BY-SA 2.0
- South Korea — Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Uzbekistan — Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, CC BY 2.0
- Poland — Ralf Lotys (Sicherlich), CC BY 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Jamaica: Education & Knowledge — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/jamaica/education