Literacy in Singapore
Singapore: Literacy was 97.65 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
97.65
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
21st
of 89 countries
All-time high
97.65
in 2021
All-time low
82.91
in 1980
Years of data
15
1980–2021
Literacy in Singapore, 1980–2021
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2021, literacy in Singapore stood at 97.65. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy in Singapore peaked at 97.65 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 82.91, in 1980.
Singapore ranks 21st of 89 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Literacy in Singapore, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 82.91 | — |
| 1990 | 89.1 | +7.5% |
| 2000 | 92.55 | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 95.86 | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 96.19 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 96.37 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 96.55 | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 96.72 | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 96.83 | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 97.05 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 97.2 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 97.34 | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 97.48 | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 97.13 | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 97.65 | +0.5% |
Singapore compared with similar countries
- Singapore's 97.65 is below the median for high income countries, which is 97.73, 100% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Singapore's 97.65 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 96.06, 1.0× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 82.91 | 82.91 | 82.91 | 1 |
| 1990s | 89.1 | 89.1 | 89.1 | 1 |
| 2000s | 92.55 | 92.55 | 92.55 | 1 |
| 2010s | 96.76 | 95.86 | 97.48 | 10 |
| 2020s | 97.39 | 97.13 | 97.65 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Singapore
More education data for Singapore
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.79 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy in Singapore?
- Literacy in Singapore was 97.65 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy recorded in Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 97.65 in 2021.
- What is the lowest literacy recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 82.91 in 1980.
- How does Singapore rank for literacy?
- Singapore ranks 21st out of 89 countries with data for 2021.
- Is literacy rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Singapore data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).