Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Singapore
Singapore: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 2.2% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
2.2%
Change on year
up 4.1%
World rank
175th
of 199 countries
All-time high
4.0%
in 2003
All-time low
2.1%
in 2023
Years of data
39
1971–2024
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Singapore, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Singapore stood at 2.2%.
The figure is up 4.1% on the previous year and down 27.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Singapore peaked at 4.0% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 2023.
That places Singapore 175th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Singapore, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 3.1% | — |
| 1972 | 2.9% | -7.8% |
| 1973 | 2.5% | -13.2% |
| 1974 | 2.4% | -4.0% |
| 1975 | 2.4% | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 2.7% | +10.4% |
| 1977 | 2.5% | -9.0% |
| 1978 | 2.3% | -6.5% |
| 1979 | 2.2% | -1.8% |
| 1980 | 2.6% | +13.8% |
| 1981 | 2.6% | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 3.3% | +26.5% |
| 1983 | 3.9% | +20.8% |
| 1988 | 3.7% | -7.5% |
| 2000 | 3.3% | -9.1% |
| 2001 | 3.5% | +6.7% |
| 2002 | 3.9% | +9.5% |
| 2003 | 4.0% | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 3.7% | -8.3% |
| 2005 | 3.2% | -12.5% |
| 2006 | 2.9% | -10.5% |
| 2007 | 2.9% | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 2.8% | -6.2% |
| 2009 | 3.0% | +8.9% |
| 2010 | 3.1% | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 3.0% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 3.1% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 2.9% | -7.1% |
| 2014 | 3.0% | +5.6% |
| 2015 | 3.0% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 2.9% | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 2.9% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 2.9% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 2.7% | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 2.7% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 2.8% | +5.0% |
| 2022 | 2.5% | -12.5% |
| 2023 | 2.1% | -15.0% |
| 2024 | 2.2% | +4.1% |
Singapore compared with similar countries
- Singapore's 2.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 50% of the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Singapore's 2.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.2%, 52% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.6% | 2.2% | 3.1% | 9 |
| 1980s | 3.2% | 2.6% | 3.9% | 5 |
| 2000s | 3.3% | 2.8% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.9% | 2.7% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.5% | 2.1% | 2.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Singapore
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 government spending on education as a share of gdp in Singapore?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Singapore was 2.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 4.0% in 2003.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 2023.
- How does Singapore rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Singapore ranks 175th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Singapore data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.