Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Jamaica

Jamaica: Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total was 19.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
19.7%
Change on year
down 9.6%
World rank
42nd
of 124 countries
All-time high
33.8%
in 2013
All-time low
19.7%
in 2023
Years of data
15
2008–2023

Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Jamaica, 2008–2023

01020302008201520232008: 27.8 % of youth population2009: 30.7 % of youth population2010: 31.6 % of youth population2011: 31.5 % of youth population2012: 32.3 % of youth population2013: 33.8 % of youth population2014: 33 % of youth population2016: 29.8 % of youth population2017: 27.9 % of youth population2018: 26.1 % of youth population2019: 22.9 % of youth population2020: 29.7 % of youth population2021: 26.1 % of youth population2022: 21.8 % of youth population2023: 19.7 % of youth population

Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of youth population.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Jamaica is 19.7%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.

That represents a change of down 9.6% on the previous year and down 41.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Jamaica peaked at 33.8% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 19.7%, in 2023.

That places Jamaica 42nd out of 124 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.

Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Jamaica, year by year

Annual values for Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of youth population) in Jamaica, 2008 to 2023.
Year % of youth population Change
2008 27.8%
2009 30.7% +10.3%
2010 31.6% +2.9%
2011 31.5% -0.3%
2012 32.3% +2.5%
2013 33.8% +4.6%
2014 33.0% -2.4%
2016 29.8% -9.7%
2017 27.9% -6.3%
2018 26.1% -6.5%
2019 22.9% -12.1%
2020 29.7% +29.5%
2021 26.1% -12.2%
2022 21.8% -16.4%
2023 19.7% -9.6%

Jamaica compared with similar countries

  • Jamaica's 19.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 19.7%, 1.0× the median. (41 countries reporting)
  • Jamaica's 19.7% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 19.6%, 1.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 29.3% 27.8% 30.7% 2
2010s 29.9% 22.9% 33.8% 9
2020s 24.3% 19.7% 29.7% 4

Countries ranked near Jamaica

  1. 39 El Salvador 20.5% compare
  2. 40 Armenia 20.2% compare
  3. 41 Grenada 20.1% compare
  4. 43 North Macedonia 19.5% compare
  5. 44 Costa Rica 19.4% compare
  6. 45 Kyrgyzstan 19.3% compare

See the full ranking of 143 places →

More work & labour data for Jamaica

All data for Jamaica →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Jamaica?
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Jamaica was 19.7% in 2023, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
What is the highest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total recorded in Jamaica?
The highest recorded value was 33.8% in 2013.
What is the lowest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total recorded in Jamaica?
The lowest recorded value was 19.7% in 2023.
How does Jamaica rank for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total?
Jamaica ranks 42nd out of 124 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total rising or falling in Jamaica?
Over the last ten years it is down 41.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Jamaica data come from?
The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of youth population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Jamaica. Statizoid, drawing on Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-youth-not-in-education-employment-or-training-total-percent-of-youth-population-2/jamaica/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of youth population)
Unit
% of youth population
Source
Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
143 places, 2,755 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

The share of youth not in education, employment or training (also known as “the NEET rate”) conveys the number of young persons not in education, employment or training as a percentage of the total youth population. Youth not in education are those who were neither enrolled in school nor in a formal training program (e.g. vocational training). For the purposes of this indicator, youth is defined as all persons between the ages of 15 and 24 (inclusive).