Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Singapore

Singapore: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female was 98.9% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
98.9%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
12th
of 83 countries
All-time high
98.9%
in 2018
All-time low
68.9%
in 1980
Years of data
12
1980–2018

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Singapore, 1980–2018

0204060801001980199920181980: 68.9 %1990: 84.9 %2000: 92.8 %2010: 97.5 %2011: 98.1 %2012: 98.2 %2013: 98.4 %2014: 98.5 %2015: 98.5 %2016: 98.7 %2017: 98.8 %2018: 98.9 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2018, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Singapore stood at 98.9%. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.

The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Singapore peaked at 98.9% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 68.9%, in 1980.

Singapore ranks 12th of 83 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 68.9% 68.9% 68.9% 1
1990s 84.9% 84.9% 84.9% 1
2000s 92.8% 92.8% 92.8% 1
2010s 98.4% 97.5% 98.9% 9

Countries ranked near Singapore

  1. 9 Uruguay 99.2% compare
  2. 10 Montenegro 99.1% compare
  3. 11 Greece 99.0% compare
  4. 13 Albania 98.8% compare
  5. 14 Portugal 98.7% compare
  6. 15 Maldives 98.6% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for Singapore

All data for Singapore →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Singapore?
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Singapore was 98.9% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Singapore?
The highest recorded value was 98.9% in 2018.
What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Singapore?
The lowest recorded value was 68.9% in 1980.
How does Singapore rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
Singapore ranks 12th out of 83 countries with data for 2018.
Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in Singapore?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. 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 Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Singapore. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-female-percent/singapore/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-female-percent/singapore/">Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Singapore</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,216 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Percentage of the female population between age 25 and age 64 who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. Generally, ‘literacy’ also encompasses ‘numeracy’, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of female literates aged 25-64 years by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.