Jamaica — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Jamaica, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Jamaica was 3.29% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 9.70% in 2013. The lowest was 3.02% in 2023 (about 1.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -1.87% per year.
Jamaica ranks 138 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 74%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 5.99%, so Jamaica sits below it. It peaked in 2013 and has fallen 66% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 63%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 27 of 31 economies; Bolivia (2.97%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 30% in 2020. That is 40% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 92nd of 187 in 1991 → 97th of 187 in 2000 → 84th of 187 in 2010 → 91st of 187 in 2020 → 133rd of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.29% | +0.1 pp |
| 2024 | 3.15% | +0.1 pp |
| 2023 | 3.02% | -1.1 pp |
| 2022 | 4.08% | -1.1 pp |
| 2021 | 5.19% | -1.3 pp |
| 2020 | 6.5% | +1.5 pp |
| 2019 | 4.99% | -0.5 pp |
| 2018 | 5.47% | -1.9 pp |
| 2017 | 7.4% | -1.2 pp |
| 2016 | 8.63% | -0.2 pp |
| 2015 | 8.82% | -0.2 pp |
| 2014 | 9.05% | -0.7 pp |
| 2013 | 9.7% | +1.0 pp |
| 2012 | 8.7% | +0.7 pp |
| 2011 | 8.03% | +0.4 pp |
| 2010 | 7.63% | +0.3 pp |
| 2009 | 7.31% | +0.6 pp |
| 2008 | 6.67% | +0.1 pp |
| 2007 | 6.61% | +0.0 pp |
| 2006 | 6.61% | +0.0 pp |
| 2005 | 6.58% | +0.0 pp |
| 2004 | 6.54% | +0.0 pp |
| 2003 | 6.53% | -0.1 pp |
| 2002 | 6.62% | -0.0 pp |
| 2001 | 6.64% | -0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 6.75% | -0.1 pp |
| 1999 | 6.81% | -0.0 pp |
| 1998 | 6.85% | +0.2 pp |
| 1997 | 6.69% | +0.1 pp |
| 1996 | 6.61% | +0.3 pp |
| 1995 | 6.33% | -0.0 pp |
| 1994 | 6.34% | +0.1 pp |
| 1993 | 6.24% | -0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 6.38% | +0.2 pp |
| 1991 | 6.23% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Jamaica’s Unemployment in 1992?
6.38% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Jamaica’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -47.3% in total — about 1.9% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 3.29%; 2024: 3.15%; 2023: 3.02%; 2022: 4.08%; 2021: 5.19%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.