Education, Language Spoken and Literacy

Data on the highest qualifications attained by the population are collected through household surveys. These statistics pertain to residents who were not attending educational institutions as full-time students and include those who were upgrading their qualifications through part-time courses.

Data on language spoken in the Census of Population/ General Household Survey does not capture all languages that a person is able to speak. Instead, it refers to the language or dialect that a person uses most/ second most frequently at home when speaking to other household member(s). This may differ from the language(s) he/ she speaks in other settings, such as at work, at school or with friends. 

Find out more on national standard for classifying educational programmes and qualifications

Highest Qualification Attained 

Highest Qualification Attained (HQA) refers to the highest grade or standard a person has passed or the highest level where a vocational/skill certificate, diploma, or degree is awarded. This is achieved either through full-time or part-time study in a structured educational programme. The Singapore Standard Educational Classification (SSEC) is used to classify persons by HQA.  

 Singapore Residents 

Singapore residents comprise Singapore citizens and permanent residents. The latter group refers to non-citizens who have been granted permanent residence in Singapore. 

Mean Years of Schooling 

Mean years of schooling refers to the years of education a person received on average. 

Literacy Rate 

Literacy rate refers to the proportion of population who are able to read with understanding (e.g. a newspaper). It is derived based on information as reported in household surveys, as well as administrative data. Persons whose literacy is not known from surveys or administrative records are excluded from the computation of literacy rate.  

Gender Parity Index for Total Net Enrolment Rate

Gender parity index for total net enrolment rate refers to the ratio of female's total net enrolment rate to male's total net enrolment rate for a given level of education. Data pertains to resident population (i.e. Singapore citizens and permanent residents) enrolled in public and private education institutions. 

Gross Enrolment Ratio 

Gross Enrolment Ratio at a specified level of education is the number of students (regardless of age) enrolled in the specified level of education, expressed as a percentage of the official school age group population. 

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Pupil-teacher ratio refers to the average number of pupils per qualified teacher for a given level of education. A qualified teacher is one who has at least the minimum academic qualifications required for teaching their subjects at the relevant level. Data pertains to students and teachers from public and private educational institutions. 

Total Net Enrolment Rate 

Total net enrolment rate refers to the total number of students of the official age group for a given level of education who are enrolled in any level of education, expressed as a percentage of the corresponding population. Data pertains to resident population (i.e. Singapore citizens and permanent residents) enrolled in public and private education institutions. 

First degree courses 

First degree courses cover full-time and part-time first-degree courses. 

Completion Rate 

Completion rate (Education) refers to the proportion of the population who has attained a particular level of qualification. 

Planning Region 

Planning Regions refer to areas demarcated in the Urban Redevelopment Authority's Master Plan 2014 for Year 2019 and Master Plan 2019 for Year 2020-2024. 

Official Primary Entry Age 

The official entry age for primary school in Singapore is 6 years.  

 Organised Learning 

Children are considered to be participating in "organised learning" if they attend preschools (kindergartens or childcare centres) licensed by Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) Singapore or Ministry of Education.