In 2021, the literacy rate for people aged 15 years and older in Singapore was 97.6 percent. The literacy rate for this age group in Singapore has shown a steady increase over the last two decades, indicating an increase in education levels in the population. The male literacy rate in Singapore was still higher than the female literacy rate.

Dataset from Singapore Department of Statistics. For more information, visit https://data.gov.sg/datasets/d_a98f2ae027bf4442d7250d50505feabe/view

Actual value and historical data chart for Singapore Literacy Rate Adult Male Percent Of Males Ages 15 And Above

In 2021, the literacy rate for males in Singapore was at 98.9 percent. The literacy rate in Singapore has increased since over the years, indicating an increase in education levels in the population.

Historical dataset showing Singapore literacy rate by year from 1980 to 2021.

Singapore SG: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 98.735 % in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 98.560 % for 2015. Singapore SG: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 98.431 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2016, with 10 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 98.735 % in 2016 and a record low of 91.566 % in 1980. Singapore SG: Literacy Rate: Adult Male: % of Males Aged 15 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Singapore – Table SG.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Singapore SG: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 data was reported at 99.927 % in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 99.785 % for 2015. Singapore SG: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 99.836 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2016, with 10 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 99.927 % in 2016 and a record low of 96.288 % in 1980. Singapore SG: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Singapore – Table SG.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

In 2021, the literacy rate for females in Singapore was 96.4 percent. While the female literacy rate in Singapore has shown a steady increase over the last ten years, it is still lower than the male literacy rate, which stands at 98.9 percent as of 2021.

Actual value and historical data chart for Singapore Elderly Literacy Rate Population 65 Years Both Sexes Percent

Graph and download economic data for Literacy Rate, Adult Total for Singapore (SEADTLITRZSSGP) from 1980 to 2021 about literacy, Singapore, adult, and rate.

Singapore SG: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 97.050 % in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 96.825 % for 2015. Singapore SG: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 96.278 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2016, with 10 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 97.050 % in 2016 and a record low of 82.906 % in 1980. Singapore SG: Literacy Rate: Adult: % of People Aged 15 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Singapore – Table SG.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Actual value and historical data chart for Singapore Literacy Rate Youth Male Percent Of Males Ages 15 24

View yearly updates and historical trends for Singapore Youth Literacy Rate. Source: World Bank. Track economic data with YCharts analytics.

Singapore SG: Literacy Rate: Adult Female: % of Females Aged 15 and Above data was reported at 95.448 % in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 95.191 % for 2015. Singapore SG: Literacy Rate: Adult Female: % of Females Aged 15 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 94.214 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2016, with 10 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 95.448 % in 2016 and a record low of 73.969 % in 1980. Singapore SG: Literacy Rate: Adult Female: % of Females Aged 15 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Singapore – Table SG.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

In 2020, China had a youth literacy rate of about **** percent. In contrast, Afghanistan's youth literacy rate stood at **** percent in 2021.Indicators for the literacy rateAn indicator which can be seen to affect the literacy rate is the governmental effort in investing in education. The amount of funds invested into the education sector is a factor which can determine a country’s state of education, as the amount of money being spent on education would have an impact on resources, learning environment, and teaching quality. Singapore’s student-teacher ratio in primary education is significantly lower than that of South Asian countries. For instance, Nepal had 20.3 students for every teacher in 2019. Meanwhile, Singaporean teachers only had around **** students on average as of 2020. Notably, South Asia, together with sub-Saharan Africa, had a much higher illiteracy rate compared to the East Asian and Pacific region in 2022. The importance of literacyThe literacy rate indicates the percentage of people within a population who can read and write. This enables them to identify, understand and interpret materials with various contexts. Ensuring literacy for all pupils is a part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for quality education. This in turn stimulates economic and societal growth for the future.

Dataset from Singapore Department of Statistics. For more information, visit https://data.gov.sg/datasets/d_6ce74ee5822089b435d3159c54d8caf7/view

Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15-24) in Singapore was reported at 99.91 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Singapore - Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

A survey conducted on digital media literacy in Singapore in 2019 found that **** percent of respondents could be categorized as having high levels of information verification. On the other hand, about ** percent could be considered to have low levels of information verification, which highlights the digital literacy gap among Singaporeans.

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female (%) in Singapore was reported at 78.94 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Singapore - Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, female - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

In 2020, the adult literacy rate among the population above 15 years of age in Mongolia amounted to approximately **** percent, more than in any other country in the Asia-Pacific region. Comparatively, the adult literacy rate in Afghanistan amounted to approximately ** percent of the population aged 15 years and above in 2021.