Unemployment rate in Jamaica
Jamaica: Unemployment rate was 3.29 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rate in Jamaica, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Jamaica recorded 3.29 for unemployment rate in 2025.
The figure is up 4.3% on the previous year and down 62.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Jamaica peaked at 9.7 in 2013 and was at its lowest, 3.02, in 2023.
That places Jamaica 137th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 6.23 | — |
| 1992 | 6.38 | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 6.24 | -2.3% |
| 1994 | 6.33 | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 6.33 | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 6.61 | +4.5% |
| 1997 | 6.69 | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 6.85 | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 6.81 | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 6.75 | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 6.64 | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 6.62 | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 6.53 | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 6.54 | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 6.58 | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 6.61 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 6.61 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6.67 | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 7.31 | +9.7% |
| 2010 | 7.63 | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 8.03 | +5.3% |
| 2012 | 8.7 | +8.2% |
| 2013 | 9.7 | +11.5% |
| 2014 | 9.05 | -6.7% |
| 2015 | 8.82 | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 8.63 | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 7.4 | -14.3% |
| 2018 | 5.47 | -26.1% |
| 2019 | 4.99 | -8.8% |
| 2020 | 6.5 | +30.4% |
| 2021 | 5.19 | -20.2% |
| 2022 | 4.08 | -21.3% |
| 2023 | 3.02 | -26.0% |
| 2024 | 3.15 | +4.3% |
| 2025 | 3.29 | +4.3% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 3.29 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.63, 58% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 3.29 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 5.99, 55% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rate in Jamaica changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +30.4% | 4.99 | 6.5 |
| 2018 | -26.1% | 7.4 | 5.47 |
| 2023 | -26.0% | 4.08 | 3.02 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.5 | 6.23 | 6.85 | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.69 | 6.53 | 7.31 | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.84 | 4.99 | 9.7 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.21 | 3.02 | 6.5 | 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 unemployment rate in Jamaica?
- Unemployment rate in Jamaica was 3.29 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 9.7 in 2013.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.02 in 2023.
- How does Jamaica rank for unemployment rate?
- Jamaica ranks 137th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 62.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Jamaica data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).