Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Singapore
Singapore: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP was 0.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Singapore, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Singapore is 0.5%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 16.9% on the previous year and down 50.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Singapore peaked at 1.3% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1979.
Singapore ranks 123rd of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in Singapore, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.5% | — |
| 1972 | 0.5% | -2.4% |
| 1973 | 0.4% | -11.3% |
| 1974 | 0.4% | +1.3% |
| 1975 | 0.5% | +7.6% |
| 1976 | 0.6% | +26.1% |
| 1977 | 0.4% | -37.4% |
| 1978 | 0.3% | -5.7% |
| 1979 | 0.3% | -2.0% |
| 1980 | 0.4% | +20.3% |
| 1981 | 0.4% | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 0.8% | +93.7% |
| 1983 | 1.3% | +60.9% |
| 1988 | 1.2% | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 0.9% | -27.5% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | +15.0% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | +8.2% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | -13.8% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 0.8% | -17.6% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | +6.5% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | -9.3% |
| 2020 | 0.8% | -4.3% |
| 2021 | 0.7% | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 0.6% | -19.7% |
| 2023 | 0.5% | -16.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 9 |
| 1980s | 0.8% | 0.4% | 1.3% | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 8 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Singapore
- 120 Cook Islands 0.5% compare
- 121 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0.5% compare
- 122 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.5% compare
- 124 North Macedonia 0.5% compare
- 125 Tajikistan 0.5% compare
- 126 Uzbekistan 0.5% 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 government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Singapore?
- Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in Singapore was 0.5% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 1.3% in 1983.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1979.
- How does Singapore rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Singapore ranks 123rd out of 173 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.5%. 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 Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release