Cross country literacy rates in Singapore
Singapore: Cross country literacy rates was 97.65 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Cross country literacy rates in Singapore, 1950–2021
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2021, cross country literacy rates in Singapore stood at 97.65. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cross country literacy rates in Singapore peaked at 97.65 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 47.5, in 1950.
That places Singapore 33rd out of 128 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Cross country literacy rates in Singapore, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 47.5 | — |
| 1980 | 82.91 | +74.5% |
| 1990 | 89.1 | +7.5% |
| 2000 | 92.55 | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 95.86 | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 96.19 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 96.37 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 96.55 | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 96.72 | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 96.83 | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 97.05 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 97.2 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 97.34 | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 97.48 | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 97.13 | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 97.65 | +0.5% |
Singapore compared with similar countries
- Singapore's 97.65 is below the median for high income countries, which is 97.82, 100% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Singapore's 97.65 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 96.05, 1.0× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cross country literacy rates in Singapore 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +74.5% | 47.5 | 82.91 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 47.5 | 47.5 | 47.5 | 1 |
| 1980s | 82.91 | 82.91 | 82.91 | 1 |
| 1990s | 89.1 | 89.1 | 89.1 | 1 |
| 2000s | 92.55 | 92.55 | 92.55 | 1 |
| 2010s | 96.76 | 95.86 | 97.48 | 10 |
| 2020s | 97.39 | 97.13 | 97.65 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Singapore
More education data for Singapore
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.79 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cross country literacy rates in Singapore?
- Cross country literacy rates in Singapore was 97.65 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cross country literacy rates recorded in Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 97.65 in 2021.
- What is the lowest cross country literacy rates recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.5 in 1950.
- How does Singapore rank for cross country literacy rates?
- Singapore ranks 33rd out of 128 countries with data for 2021.
- Is cross country literacy rates rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Singapore data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Cross country literacy rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).