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Education Profile and Key Educational Indicators

The education composition of the population is commonly associated with its highest qualification attained.

Data on the highest qualification attained of 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.

Other key educational indicators, namely mean years of schooling and literacy rate, are also compiled annually for the resident population. These indicators are commonly used internationally as an indication of the educational development of the population.

Data on the highest qualification attained, mean years of schooling and literacy rate are compiled by the Department of Statistics.

Education Statistics

Data on education such as schools, enrolment, educational outcomes and finances, are compiled by the Ministry of Education.

Data

Please click on the topic to view the available data tables.

View Latest Data:

Key Indicators
Item Unit Latest Period Latest Data % Change
(Y‑o‑Y) 1/		 Previous
Period Data		 % Change
(Y‑o‑Y) 2/
Education, Language Spoken and Literacy 3/            

Literacy Rate (among residents aged 15 yrs & over)

 % 2021 97.6 na 97.1 na
Males % 2021 98.9 na 98.5 na
Females % 2021 96.4 na 95.8 na

% with Post-Secondary Qualifications (among residents aged 25 years & over) 4/

 % 2021 61.8 na 58.3 na
Males % 2021 65.6 na 61.8 na
Females % 2021 58.4 na 55.1 na
Item Unit Latest Period Latest Data % Change
(Y‑o‑Y) 1/		 Previous
Period Data		 % Change
(Y‑o‑Y) 2/

Mean Years of Schooling (among residents aged 25 years & over) 4/

 Years
 2021  11.6  na 11.3  na
Males Years
 2021  12.0  na 11.7  na
Females Years
 2021  11.3  na 10.9  na
Annual Output - University Graduates 5/ Number  2021 19,761 -0.3 19,818 3.4
Annual Output - Polytechnic Graduates 6/ Number
 2021 25,433 2.5 24,822 4.3

na not available or not applicable
1 Refers to % change in latest period over the same period in the previous year.
2 Refers to % change in the previous period over the same period in the previous year.
3 Refers to the resident population.
4 Refers to residents who were not attending educational institutions as full-time students and include those who were upgrading their qualifications through part-time courses.
5 Refers to graduates from university first degree courses from National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore Management University (SMU), Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).
6 Refers to graduates from polytechnic diploma courses from Singapore Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic, Nanyang Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, and National Institute of Early Childhood Development.

Key Literacy and Proficiency Indicators

Title : Indicators On Education And Literacy, Annual

Per Cent

Data Items

2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021

Literacy Rate (15 Years & Over) * Refers to resident population aged 15 years and over. Prior to 1980, the rates are based on total population aged 15 years and over. Data for 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2015 and 2020 are from the Population Censuses/General Household Survey.

96.7
96.8
97
97.2
97.3
97.5
97.1
97.6
SOURCE : SINGAPORE DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS
Footnotes

For more information, please refer to the 'Population Trends' publication (www.singstat.gov.sg/publications/population/population-trends).

Indicators On Education And Literacy, Annual
Proportion of Students Achieving At Least a Minimum Proficiency in Reading and Mathematics by Level and Sex, Annual

Download all in Excel  (55 KB)

Highest Qualification Attained

Title : Singapore Residents Aged 25 Years & Over By Highest Qualification Attained, Sex And Age Group, Annual

Number

Data Items

2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021

Total

2,732,600
2,750,900
2,795,200
2,846,000
2,877,000
2,922,700
2,977,800
2,978,300

Total - Below Secondary

832,100
800,000
819,300
813,800
761,500
745,700
757,800
643,900

Total- Secondary

502,500
519,200
500,400
488,800
511,200
503,700
484,300
492,600

Total - Post Secondary (Non-Tertiary)

238,000
250,500
249,800
253,500
260,700
265,900
296,900
281,300

Total - Diploma & Professional Qualification

401,800
405,500
411,500
415,900
434,900
461,200
456,800
486,200

Total - University

758,100
775,800
814,200
874,000
908,700
946,200
982,000
1,074,300
SOURCE : SINGAPORE DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS
Footnotes

Data 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. For more information, please refer to the 'Population Trends' publication (www.singstat.gov.sg/publications/population/population-trends).

Singapore Residents Aged 25 Years & Over By Highest Qualification Attained, Sex And Age Group, Annual

Mean Years of Schooling

Title : Mean Years Of Schooling, Annual

Years

Data Items

2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021

Mean Years Of Schooling (25 Years & Over)

10.6
10.7
10.7
10.9
11.1
11.2
11.3
11.6
SOURCE : SINGAPORE DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS
Footnotes

Data 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. For more information, please refer to the 'Population Trends' publication (www.singstat.gov.sg/publications/population/population-trends).

Mean Years Of Schooling, Annual

Definitions

Visit Glossary Page

Other References

Education Statistics
Education Statistics Digest View
Population Trends View
Statistical Classification
Singapore Standard Educational Classification View