Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Singapore
Singapore: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 10.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Singapore, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in IMF calculation.
Analysis
Singapore recorded 10.8% for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.8% on the previous year and down 51.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Singapore peaked at 23.4% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 10.1%, in 2022.
That places Singapore 76th out of 123 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Singapore, year by year
| Year | IMF calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 21.0% | — |
| 2001 | 19.4% | -7.5% |
| 2002 | 23.4% | +20.2% |
| 2003 | 21.9% | -6.2% |
| 2004 | 21.6% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 21.6% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 19.9% | -7.8% |
| 2007 | 20.8% | +4.4% |
| 2008 | 18.6% | -10.4% |
| 2009 | 18.3% | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 21.0% | +14.7% |
| 2011 | 20.8% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 21.3% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 22.0% | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 20.0% | -9.1% |
| 2015 | 16.4% | -17.9% |
| 2016 | 17.7% | +7.7% |
| 2017 | 17.3% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 16.1% | -6.8% |
| 2019 | 16.5% | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 11.2% | -31.9% |
| 2021 | 13.1% | +16.5% |
| 2022 | 10.1% | -22.9% |
| 2023 | 10.8% | +6.8% |
Singapore compared with similar countries
- Singapore's 10.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 11.2%, 96% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Singapore's 10.8% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 13.3%, 81% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 20.7% | 18.3% | 23.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.9% | 16.1% | 22.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.3% | 10.1% | 13.1% | 4 |
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 expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Singapore?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Singapore was 10.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 23.4% in 2002.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.1% in 2022.
- How does Singapore rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Singapore ranks 76th out of 123 countries with data for 2023.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is down 51.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Singapore data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (IMF calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release