Literate and illiterate world population in Singapore

Singapore: Literate and illiterate world population was 2.4% in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
2.4%
Change on year
down 18.1%
World rank
95th
of 128 countries
All-time high
52.5%
in 1950
All-time low
2.4%
in 2021
Years of data
16
1950–2021

Literate and illiterate world population in Singapore, 1950–2021

02040601950198520211950: 52.5 %1980: 17.1 %1990: 10.9 %2000: 7.5 %2010: 4.1 %2011: 3.8 %2012: 3.6 %2013: 3.5 %2014: 3.3 %2015: 3.2 %2016: 3 %2017: 2.8 %2018: 2.7 %2019: 2.5 %2020: 2.9 %2021: 2.4 %

Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Singapore recorded 2.4% for literate and illiterate world population in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 16 years on record.

That represents a change of down 18.1% on the previous year and down 38.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literate and illiterate world population in Singapore peaked at 52.5% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 2021.

That places Singapore 95th out of 128 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 52.5% 52.5% 52.5% 1
1980s 17.1% 17.1% 17.1% 1
1990s 10.9% 10.9% 10.9% 1
2000s 7.5% 7.5% 7.5% 1
2010s 3.2% 2.5% 4.1% 10
2020s 2.6% 2.4% 2.9% 2

Countries ranked near Singapore

  1. 92 Turkey 2.7% compare
  2. 93 Oman 2.7% compare
  3. 94 Canada 2.5% compare
  4. 95 Cuba 2.4% compare
  5. 97 Albania 2.3% compare
  6. 98 Bahrain 2.2% compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More population data for Singapore

All data for Singapore →

Frequently asked questions

What is literate and illiterate world population in Singapore?
Literate and illiterate world population in Singapore was 2.4% in 2021, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest literate and illiterate world population recorded in Singapore?
The highest recorded value was 52.5% in 1950.
What is the lowest literate and illiterate world population recorded in Singapore?
The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 2021.
How does Singapore rank for literate and illiterate world population?
Singapore ranks 95th out of 128 countries with data for 2021.
Is literate and illiterate world population rising or falling in Singapore?
Over the last ten years it is down 38.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Singapore data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literate and illiterate world population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Literate and illiterate world population
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
128 places, 1,272 data points, 1475–2024
Last refreshed

Share of adults who cannot read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life.