Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Singapore
Singapore: Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes was 88.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Singapore, 1980–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Singapore recorded 88.1% for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in 2020. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Singapore peaked at 88.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 37.8%, in 1980.
That places Singapore 21st out of 85 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Singapore, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 37.8% | — |
| 1990 | 51.0% | +34.8% |
| 2000 | 60.3% | +18.3% |
| 2010 | 75.7% | +25.6% |
| 2011 | 79.0% | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 80.3% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 81.5% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 82.6% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 84.0% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 84.6% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 85.6% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 86.4% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 87.2% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 88.1% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 37.8% | 37.8% | 37.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 51.0% | 51.0% | 51.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 60.3% | 60.3% | 60.3% | 1 |
| 2010s | 82.7% | 75.7% | 87.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 88.1% | 88.1% | 88.1% | 1 |
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 elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Singapore?
- Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes in Singapore was 88.1% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 88.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.8% in 1980.
- How does Singapore rank for elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes?
- Singapore ranks 21st out of 85 countries with data for 2020.
- Is elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.3%. 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 Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release