Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Singapore
Singapore: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 99.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Singapore, 1980–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Singapore recorded 99.0% for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Singapore peaked at 99.1% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 80.4%, in 1980.
That places Singapore 12th out of 87 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.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Singapore, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 80.4% | — |
| 1990 | 90.3% | +12.3% |
| 2000 | 95.0% | +5.2% |
| 2010 | 98.0% | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 98.5% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 98.6% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 98.7% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 98.8% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 98.9% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 99.0% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 99.1% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 99.1% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 99.0% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 80.4% | 80.4% | 80.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 90.3% | 90.3% | 90.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 95.0% | 95.0% | 95.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 98.7% | 98.0% | 99.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 99.0% | 99.0% | 99.0% | 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 literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Singapore?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Singapore was 99.0% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 99.1% in 2019.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 80.4% in 1980.
- How does Singapore rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- Singapore ranks 12th out of 87 countries with data for 2020.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. 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 Literacy rate, population 25-64 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