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.

Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) in Singapore was reported at 98 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Singapore - Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

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.

Singapore SG: Literacy Rate: Youth Male: % of Males Aged 15-24 data was reported at 99.913 % in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 99.735 % for 2015. Singapore SG: Literacy Rate: Youth Male: % of Males Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 99.816 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2016, with 10 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 99.913 % in 2016 and a record low of 96.409 % in 1980. Singapore SG: Literacy Rate: Youth Male: % of Males Aged 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).

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).

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.

Singapore: Literacy rate: The latest value from 2021 is 98 percent, an increase from 97 percent in 2020. In comparison, the world average is 86.53 percent, based on data from 48 countries. Historically, the average for Singapore from 1980 to 2021 is 95.13 percent. The minimum value, 83 percent, was reached in 1980 while the maximum of 98 percent was recorded in 2021.

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes (%) in Singapore was reported at 86.44 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Singapore - Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, both sexes - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Singapore: Male literacy rate, ages 15-24: The latest value from 2021 is 100 percent, unchanged from 100 percent in 2020. In comparison, the world average is 94.32 percent, based on data from 58 countries. Historically, the average for Singapore from 1980 to 2021 is 99.6 percent. The minimum value, 96 percent, was reached in 1980 while the maximum of 100 percent was recorded in 2010.

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).

Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male (%) in Singapore was reported at 95.49 % in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Singapore - Elderly literacy rate, population 65+ years, male - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) in Singapore was reported at 99 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Singapore - Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on May of 2025.

The average for 2021 based on 13 countries was 94.75 percent. The highest value was in Singapore: 100 percent and the lowest value was in Afghanistan: 56 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Literacy rate, youth male (% of males ages 15-24) in Singapore was reported at 100 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Singapore - Literacy rate, youth male (% of males ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

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).

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 June of 2025.

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.

A survey conducted on digital media literacy in Singapore in 2019 found that 42.5 percent of respondents could be categorized as having high levels of information verification. On the other hand, about 40 percent could be considered to have low levels of information verification, which highlights the digital literacy gap among Singaporeans.

The average for 2021 based on 4 countries was 97.11 percent. The highest value was in Singapore: 100 percent and the lowest value was in Cambodia: 90.31 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Literacy rate, youth (ages 15-24), gender parity index (GPI) in Singapore was reported at 1 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Singapore - Ratio of young literate females to males (% ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.