Literacy rate, adult female in Singapore
Singapore: Literacy rate, adult female was 96.4% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult female in Singapore, 1980–2021
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of females ages 15 and above.
Analysis
In 2021, literacy rate, adult female in Singapore stood at 96.4%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult female in Singapore peaked at 96.4% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 74.0%, in 1980.
That places Singapore 21st out of 89 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult female in Singapore, year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 74.0% | — |
| 1990 | 83.0% | +12.2% |
| 2000 | 88.7% | +6.8% |
| 2010 | 93.8% | +5.8% |
| 2011 | 94.1% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 94.4% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 94.6% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 94.9% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 95.2% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 95.5% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 95.7% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 95.9% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 96.1% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 95.8% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 96.4% | +0.6% |
Singapore compared with similar countries
- Singapore's 96.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 96.4%, 1.0× the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Singapore's 96.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 95.0%, 1.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 74.0% | 74.0% | 74.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 83.0% | 83.0% | 83.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 88.7% | 88.7% | 88.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 95.0% | 93.8% | 96.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 96.1% | 95.8% | 96.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Singapore
More gender data for Singapore
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 724.18 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.914 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 5,307 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 5,307 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.3921 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 23,989 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 25,420 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 23,551 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 24,949 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 22,853 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult female in Singapore?
- Literacy rate, adult female in Singapore was 96.4% in 2021, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 96.4% in 2021.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.0% in 1980.
- How does Singapore rank for literacy rate, adult female?
- Singapore ranks 21st out of 89 countries with data for 2021.
- Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Singapore data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, adult female (% of females ages 15 and above). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.