Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Singapore

Singapore: Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP was 0.9% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
0.9%
Change on year
up 6.8%
World rank
73rd
of 160 countries
All-time high
1.3%
in 1983
All-time low
0.3%
in 1979
Years of data
23
1971–2018

Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Singapore, 1971–2018

0.40.60.811.21971199420181971: 0.491 %1972: 0.479 %1973: 0.425 %1974: 0.43 %1975: 0.463 %1976: 0.584 %1977: 0.366 %1978: 0.345 %1979: 0.338 %1980: 0.406 %1981: 0.411 %1982: 0.797 %1983: 1.3 %1988: 1.2 %2008: 0.901 %2009: 1 %2010: 1.1 %2011: 1.1 %2012: 1.2 %2013: 1 %2016: 0.989 %2017: 0.818 %2018: 0.873 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Singapore recorded 0.9% for government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in 2018.

The figure is up 6.8% on the previous year and down 3.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Singapore peaked at 1.3% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1979.

That places Singapore 73rd out of 160 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Singapore, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%) in Singapore, 1971 to 2018.
Year % Change
1971 0.5%
1972 0.5% -2.4%
1973 0.4% -11.3%
1974 0.4% +1.3%
1975 0.5% +7.6%
1976 0.6% +26.1%
1977 0.4% -37.4%
1978 0.3% -5.7%
1979 0.3% -2.0%
1980 0.4% +20.3%
1981 0.4% +1.3%
1982 0.8% +93.7%
1983 1.3% +60.9%
1988 1.2% -3.1%
2008 0.9% -27.5%
2009 1.0% +15.0%
2010 1.1% +4.3%
2011 1.1% -0.0%
2012 1.2% +8.2%
2013 1.0% -13.8%
2016 1.0% -1.8%
2017 0.8% -17.3%
2018 0.9% +6.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0.4% 0.3% 0.6% 9
1980s 0.8% 0.4% 1.3% 5
2000s 1.0% 0.9% 1.0% 2
2010s 1.0% 0.8% 1.2% 7

Countries ranked near Singapore

  1. 70 Honduras 0.9% compare
  2. 71 Türkiye 0.9% compare
  3. 72 Fiji 0.9% compare
  4. 74 Croatia 0.9% compare
  5. 75 Viet Nam 0.8% compare
  6. 76 Maldives 0.8% compare

See the full ranking of 160 places →

More reference data data for Singapore

All data for Singapore →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Singapore?
Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Singapore was 0.9% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp recorded in Singapore?
The highest recorded value was 1.3% in 1983.
What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp recorded in Singapore?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1979.
How does Singapore rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp?
Singapore ranks 73rd out of 160 countries with data for 2018.
Is government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp rising or falling in Singapore?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Singapore data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Singapore. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-tertiary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/singapore/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
160 places, 3,221 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on tertiary education (current, capital, and transfers), expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. Divide total government expenditure for a given level of education (ex. primary, secondary, or all levels combined) by the GDP, and multiply by 100. A higher percentage of GDP spent on education shows a higher government priority for education, but also a higher capacity of the government to raise revenues for public spending, in relation to the size of the country's economy. When interpreting this indicator however, one should keep in mind in some countries, the private sector and/or households may fund a higher proportion of total funding for education, thus making government expenditure appear lower than in other countries. Limitations: In some instances data on total public expenditure on education refers only to the Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries which may also spend a part of their budget on educational activities. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/