School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Singapore
Singapore: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) was 16.75 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
16.75 years
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
34th
of 186 countries
All-time high
16.9 years
in 2021
All-time low
9.4 years
in 1970
Years of data
12
1970–2023
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Singapore, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Singapore recorded 16.75 years for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Singapore peaked at 16.9 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 9.4 years, in 1970.
That places Singapore 34th out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Singapore, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 9.4 years | — |
| 2007 | 13.63 years | +44.9% |
| 2008 | 13.59 years | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 13.53 years | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 16.64 years | +22.9% |
| 2017 | 16.68 years | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 16.74 years | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 16.74 years | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 16.79 years | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 16.9 years | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 16.74 years | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 16.75 years | +0.0% |
Singapore compared with similar countries
- Singapore's 16.75 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 16.09 years, 1.0× the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Singapore's 16.75 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 14.21 years, 1.2× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 9.4 years | 9.4 years | 9.4 years | 1 |
| 2000s | 13.58 years | 13.53 years | 13.63 years | 3 |
| 2010s | 16.7 years | 16.64 years | 16.74 years | 4 |
| 2020s | 16.8 years | 16.74 years | 16.9 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Singapore
- 31 Saudi Arabia 17.02 years compare
- 32 South Korea 16.85 years compare
- 33 Italy 16.84 years compare
- 35 Puerto Rico 16.52 years compare
- 36 Moldova 16.51 years compare
- 37 Switzerland 16.51 years 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 school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Singapore?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Singapore was 16.75 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 16.9 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.4 years in 1970.
- How does Singapore rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Singapore ranks 34th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. 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 School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release