Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Singapore
Singapore: Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions was 79.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Singapore, 2007–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Singapore recorded 79.9% for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in 2023. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.8% on the previous year and up 135.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Singapore peaked at 79.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 34.0%, in 2012.
That places Singapore 66th out of 155 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Singapore, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 39.4% | — |
| 2008 | 39.1% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 38.2% | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 35.7% | -6.6% |
| 2011 | 34.7% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 34.0% | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 64.5% | +89.8% |
| 2017 | 72.3% | +12.1% |
| 2018 | 74.0% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 76.8% | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 78.9% | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 77.8% | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 78.4% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 79.9% | +1.8% |
Singapore compared with similar countries
- Singapore's 79.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 80.5%, 99% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Singapore's 79.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 76.1%, 1.0× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Singapore changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | +89.8% | 34.0% | 64.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 38.9% | 38.2% | 39.4% | 3 |
| 2010s | 56.0% | 34.0% | 76.8% | 7 |
| 2020s | 78.7% | 77.8% | 79.9% | 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 percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Singapore?
- Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions in Singapore was 79.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 79.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.0% in 2012.
- How does Singapore rank for percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions?
- Singapore ranks 66th out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is up 135.1%. 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 Percentage of enrolment in tertiary education in public institutions, 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