Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Jamaica
Jamaica: Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) was 20.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Jamaica, 2005–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Jamaica stood at 20.0%.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and down 36.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Jamaica peaked at 33.8% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 19.7%, in 2023.
That places Jamaica 83rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 28.4% | — |
| 2006 | 28.4% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 28.1% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 27.8% | -0.9% |
| 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% |
| 2015 | 31.5% | -4.4% |
| 2016 | 29.8% | -5.5% |
| 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% |
| 2024 | 19.9% | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 20.0% | +0.8% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 20.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20.0%, 1.0× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 20.0% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 20.0%, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 28.7% | 27.8% | 30.7% | 5 |
| 2010s | 30.0% | 22.9% | 33.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.8% | 19.7% | 29.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More work & labour data for Jamaica
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -1.76 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -1.69 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -1.83 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.25 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.0152 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 1,904 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 799.47 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 544.43 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 522.35 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 1,067 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Jamaica?
- Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Jamaica was 20.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) 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 (% of) 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 (% of)?
- Jamaica ranks 83rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of youth population) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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).