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Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Singapore

Singapore: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 2.2% in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
2.2%
Change on year
up 4.1%
World rank
175th
of 199 countries
All-time high
4.0%
in 2003
All-time low
2.1%
in 2023
Years of data
39
1971–2024

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Singapore, 1971–2024

012341971199720241971: 3.1 % of GDP1972: 2.9 % of GDP1973: 2.5 % of GDP1974: 2.4 % of GDP1975: 2.4 % of GDP1976: 2.7 % of GDP1977: 2.5 % of GDP1978: 2.3 % of GDP1979: 2.2 % of GDP1980: 2.6 % of GDP1981: 2.6 % of GDP1982: 3.3 % of GDP1983: 3.9 % of GDP1988: 3.7 % of GDP2000: 3.3 % of GDP2001: 3.5 % of GDP2002: 3.9 % of GDP2003: 4 % of GDP2004: 3.7 % of GDP2005: 3.2 % of GDP2006: 2.9 % of GDP2007: 2.9 % of GDP2008: 2.8 % of GDP2009: 3 % of GDP2010: 3.1 % of GDP2011: 3 % of GDP2012: 3.1 % of GDP2013: 2.9 % of GDP2014: 3 % of GDP2015: 3 % of GDP2016: 2.9 % of GDP2017: 2.9 % of GDP2018: 2.9 % of GDP2019: 2.7 % of GDP2020: 2.7 % of GDP2021: 2.8 % of GDP2022: 2.5 % of GDP2023: 2.1 % of GDP2024: 2.2 % of GDP

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

In 2024, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Singapore stood at 2.2%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.1% on the previous year and down 27.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Singapore peaked at 4.0% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 2023.

That places Singapore 175th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 2.6% 2.2% 3.1% 9
1980s 3.2% 2.6% 3.9% 5
2000s 3.3% 2.8% 4.0% 10
2010s 2.9% 2.7% 3.1% 10
2020s 2.5% 2.1% 2.8% 5

Countries ranked near Singapore

  1. 172 Gabon 2.3% compare
  2. 173 Ethiopia 2.3% compare
  3. 174 Liberia 2.3% compare
  4. 176 Cambodia 2.2% compare
  5. 177 Eritrea 2.1% compare
  6. 178 Bangladesh 2.0% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Singapore

All data for Singapore →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Singapore?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Singapore was 2.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Singapore?
The highest recorded value was 4.0% in 2003.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Singapore?
The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 2023.
How does Singapore rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Singapore ranks 175th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Singapore?
Over the last ten years it is down 27.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Singapore data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education
Unit
% of GDP
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 5,140 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.