Labor force with basic education in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)

Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Labor force with basic education was 54.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
54.3%
Change on year
down 1.2%
Rank
6th
of 17 groups
All-time high
65.2%
in 2002
All-time low
52.0%
in 2020
Years of data
22
2002–2024

Labor force with basic education in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 2002–2024

02040602002201320242002: 65.2 % of total working-age population with basic education2003: 63.4 % of total working-age population with basic education2004: 64.2 % of total working-age population with basic education2005: 63.4 % of total working-age population with basic education2006: 63.5 % of total working-age population with basic education2007: 63.9 % of total working-age population with basic education2008: 62.7 % of total working-age population with basic education2009: 62.2 % of total working-age population with basic education2011: 60.9 % of total working-age population with basic education2012: 63.9 % of total working-age population with basic education2013: 63.4 % of total working-age population with basic education2014: 63.1 % of total working-age population with basic education2015: 62.7 % of total working-age population with basic education2016: 58.6 % of total working-age population with basic education2017: 58.4 % of total working-age population with basic education2018: 57.9 % of total working-age population with basic education2019: 57.8 % of total working-age population with basic education2020: 52 % of total working-age population with basic education2021: 55.4 % of total working-age population with basic education2022: 55.5 % of total working-age population with basic education2023: 55 % of total working-age population with basic education2024: 54.3 % of total working-age population with basic education

Source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total working-age population with basic education.

Analysis

Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) recorded 54.3% for labor force with basic education in 2024.

The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 14.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labor force with basic education in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 65.2% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 52.0%, in 2020.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.

Labor force with basic education in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year

Annual values for Labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population with basic education) in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 2002 to 2024.
Year % of total working-age population with basic education Change
2002 65.2%
2003 63.4% -2.8%
2004 64.2% +1.4%
2005 63.4% -1.2%
2006 63.5% +0.1%
2007 63.9% +0.7%
2008 62.7% -1.9%
2009 62.2% -0.8%
2011 60.9% -2.0%
2012 63.9% +4.8%
2013 63.4% -0.8%
2014 63.1% -0.4%
2015 62.7% -0.6%
2016 58.6% -6.6%
2017 58.4% -0.4%
2018 57.9% -0.8%
2019 57.8% -0.3%
2020 52.0% -10.0%
2021 55.4% +6.5%
2022 55.5% +0.2%
2023 55.0% -1.0%
2024 54.3% -1.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 63.6% 62.2% 65.2% 8
2010s 60.7% 57.8% 63.9% 9
2020s 54.4% 52.0% 55.5% 5

Countries ranked near Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)

  1. 3 Saint Lucia 86.3% compare
  2. 4 Uganda 81.9% compare
  3. 5 Nigeria 81.1% compare
  4. 6 Cambodia 80.3% compare
  5. 7 United Arab Emirates 74.3% compare
  6. 8 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 73.9% compare
  7. 9 Niger 72.5% compare

See the full ranking of 144 places →

More work & labour data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)

All data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) →

Frequently asked questions

What is labor force with basic education in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
Labor force with basic education in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 54.3% in 2024, according to Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO).
What is the highest labor force with basic education recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
The highest recorded value was 65.2% in 2002.
What is the lowest labor force with basic education recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
The lowest recorded value was 52.0% in 2020.
How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for labor force with basic education?
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 6th out of 17 groups with data for 2024.
Is labor force with basic education rising or falling in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) data come from?
The figures come from Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population with basic education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Labor force with basic education in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries). Statizoid, drawing on Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labor-force-with-basic-education-percent-of-total-working-age-population-with-basic/latin-america-and-the-caribbean-ida-and-ibrd-countries/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labor-force-with-basic-education-percent-of-total-working-age-population-with-basic/latin-america-and-the-caribbean-ida-and-ibrd-countries/">Labor force with basic education in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population with basic education)
Unit
% of total working-age population with basic education
Source
Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
144 places, 2,683 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

The ratio of the labor force with basic education to the working-age population with basic education. Basic education comprises primary education or lower secondary education according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).