Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Singapore
Singapore: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male was 98.9% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Singapore, 1980–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Singapore recorded 98.9% for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in 2021. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Singapore peaked at 98.9% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 91.6%, in 1980.
Singapore ranks 14th of 88 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Singapore, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 91.6% | — |
| 1990 | 95.1% | +3.8% |
| 2000 | 96.6% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 98.0% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 98.4% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 98.6% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 98.6% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 98.7% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 98.8% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 98.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 98.9% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 98.5% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 98.9% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 91.6% | 91.6% | 91.6% | 1 |
| 1990s | 95.1% | 95.1% | 95.1% | 1 |
| 2000s | 96.6% | 96.6% | 96.6% | 1 |
| 2010s | 98.6% | 98.0% | 98.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.7% | 98.5% | 98.9% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Singapore
- 11 Qatar 99.2% compare
- 12 Montenegro 99.2% compare
- 13 United Arab Emirates 99.0% compare
- 15 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 98.8% compare
- 16 Bahrain 98.7% compare
- 17 Uruguay 98.6% compare
More education data for Singapore
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 13,601 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 336 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 9,429 (1989)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 8,429 (1989)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 163,746 (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 238,816 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.4 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0404 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Singapore?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Singapore was 98.9% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 98.9% in 2021.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 91.6% in 1980.
- How does Singapore rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male?
- Singapore ranks 14th out of 88 countries with data for 2021.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Singapore data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release