Jamaica Youth Literacy Rate

Jamaica’s youth literacy rate has risen modestly but steadily since the late 1990s, moving from 91.60 % in 1999 to a peak of 93.57 % in 2022, placing the country at 40th in the world. The 2.0‑percentage‑point gain over 23 years reflects continued investment in primary education and expanded access to secondary schooling, yet the pace remains slower than that of peers such as Indonesia, which recorded 93.79 % in the same year, and Lao PDR at 93.82 %. The narrow margin with Bangladesh’s 93.45 % underscores the competitive regional landscape, where marginal improvements can shift rankings. While Jamaica has closed much of the gap with higher‑performing neighbors, sustaining upward momentum will depend on addressing disparities in rural school quality and enhancing digital learning resources, factors that could either accelerate further gains or stall progress in the coming decade.