Primary education, teachers in Singapore
Singapore: Primary education, teachers was 16,639 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Primary education, teachers in Singapore, 1970–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary education, teachers in Singapore is 16,639, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and up 5.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, teachers in Singapore peaked at 16,925 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 9,463, in 1980.
That places Singapore 125th out of 204 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Primary education, teachers in Singapore, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 12,259 | — |
| 1971 | 11,965 | -2.4% |
| 1972 | 10,858 | -9.3% |
| 1973 | 11,135 | +2.6% |
| 1974 | 10,985 | -1.3% |
| 1975 | 10,777 | -1.9% |
| 1976 | 10,597 | -1.7% |
| 1977 | 10,345 | -2.4% |
| 1978 | 10,347 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 10,492 | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 9,463 | -9.8% |
| 1981 | 9,505 | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 10,286 | +8.2% |
| 1983 | 9,921 | -3.5% |
| 1984 | 10,657 | +7.4% |
| 1985 | 10,363 | -2.8% |
| 1986 | 10,264 | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 10,199 | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 9,962 | -2.3% |
| 1989 | 9,998 | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 10,006 | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 9,843 | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 10,188 | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 10,711 | +5.1% |
| 1994 | 10,553 | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 10,356 | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 10,618 | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 14,242 | +34.1% |
| 2008 | 14,850 | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 16,171 | +8.9% |
| 2016 | 15,734 | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 15,969 | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 16,294 | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 16,545 | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 16,725 | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 16,925 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 16,793 | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 16,639 | -0.9% |
Singapore compared with similar countries
- Singapore's 16,639 is below the median for high income countries, which is 17,584, 95% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Singapore's 16,639 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7,144, 2.3× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary education, teachers 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +34.1% | 10,618 | 14,242 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10,976 | 10,345 | 12,259 | 10 |
| 1980s | 10,062 | 9,463 | 10,657 | 10 |
| 1990s | 10,325 | 9,843 | 10,711 | 7 |
| 2000s | 15,088 | 14,242 | 16,171 | 3 |
| 2010s | 16,136 | 15,734 | 16,545 | 4 |
| 2020s | 16,770 | 16,639 | 16,925 | 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 primary education, teachers in Singapore?
- Primary education, teachers in Singapore was 16,639 in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, teachers recorded in Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 16,925 in 2021.
- What is the lowest primary education, teachers recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 9,463 in 1980.
- How does Singapore rank for primary education, teachers?
- Singapore ranks 125th out of 204 countries with data for 2023.
- Is primary education, teachers rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Singapore data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, teachers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 38 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Primary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at primary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.