Singapore — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Singapore, 1971–2024.
Education spending for Singapore was 2.19% in 2024, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 39 years, from 1971 to 2024. The highest recorded value was 3.98% in 2003. The lowest was 2.10% in 2023 (about 1.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.66% per year.
Singapore ranks 157 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 91%. The median for East Asia & Pacific is 4.25%, so Singapore sits below it. It peaked in 2003 and has fallen 45% since. Over the last decade (2014–2024) the figure moved down 27%. Within East Asia & Pacific it ranks 22 of 25 economies; Cambodia (2.18%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 26% in 1982. That is 19% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 33rd of 53 in 1971 → 51st of 63 in 1980 → 77th of 116 in 2000 → 93rd of 130 in 2010 → 135th of 157 in 2020 → 37th of 39 in 2024.
Key figures
Full history — 1971 to 2024
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2.19% | +0.1 pp |
| 2023 | 2.1% | -0.4 pp |
| 2022 | 2.47% | -0.4 pp |
| 2021 | 2.83% | +0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 2.69% | -0.0 pp |
| 2019 | 2.73% | -0.1 pp |
| 2018 | 2.85% | -0.0 pp |
| 2017 | 2.88% | -0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 2.94% | -0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 2.99% | -0.0 pp |
| 2014 | 3.01% | +0.2 pp |
| 2013 | 2.85% | -0.2 pp |
| 2012 | 3.07% | +0.0 pp |
| 2011 | 3.03% | -0.0 pp |
| 2010 | 3.08% | +0.1 pp |
| 2009 | 3.01% | +0.2 pp |
| 2008 | 2.76% | -0.2 pp |
| 2007 | 2.95% | +0.1 pp |
| 2006 | 2.86% | -0.3 pp |
| 2005 | 3.2% | -0.5 pp |
| 2004 | 3.65% | -0.3 pp |
| 2003 | 3.98% | +0.1 pp |
| 2002 | 3.88% | +0.3 pp |
| 2001 | 3.54% | +0.2 pp |
| 2000 | 3.32% | -0.3 pp |
| 1988 | 3.65% | -0.3 pp |
| 1983 | 3.95% | +0.7 pp |
| 1982 | 3.27% | +0.7 pp |
| 1981 | 2.58% | +0.0 pp |
| 1980 | 2.56% | +0.3 pp |
| 1979 | 2.25% | -0.0 pp |
| 1978 | 2.29% | -0.2 pp |
| 1977 | 2.45% | -0.2 pp |
| 1976 | 2.69% | +0.3 pp |
| 1975 | 2.44% | +0.1 pp |
| 1974 | 2.39% | -0.1 pp |
| 1973 | 2.49% | -0.4 pp |
| 1972 | 2.87% | -0.2 pp |
| 1971 | 3.11% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Singapore’s Education spending in 1972?
2.87% (1972). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Singapore’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1971 and 2024 the series was shrinking overall: -29.5% in total — about 0.7% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2024: 2.19%; 2023: 2.1%; 2022: 2.47%; 2021: 2.83%; 2020: 2.69%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS — Government Education Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.